jalen-ramsey-rams.jpg
Getty Images

The Los Angeles Rams were determined to keep the core of their team together as the franchise was mired in salary cap hell. Thanks to restructuring contracts, the Rams are working their way toward getting under the salary cap by Wednesday. 

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Rams have saved $20 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of Jalen Ramsey and Robert Woods. The team is also working on restructuring the deals of Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp, two key pieces of the franchise that reached Super Bowl LIII just two years ago. 

Los Angeles entered Tuesday approximately $37.9 million over the salary cap, so the Rams had some work to do in order to get under the $182.5 million threshold. Restructuring the contracts of Donald and Kupp will save Los Angeles around $22 million, enough to get the Rams under the cap -- allowing them to make some moves in free agency. 

The Rams are already ahead of the game in that department re-signing Leonard Floyd to a four-year, $64 million deal Monday in what is a loaded edge rusher class. In his lone season with the Rams, Floyd finished with career highs in sacks (10.5), tackles (55), quarterback hits (19), and pressures (30) -- as an excellent complement to Donald on a Rams defensive line that finished second in the NFL in sacks (53) despite only blitzing 159 times. 

The Rams don't have a first-round pick for several more seasons, so restructuring deals and keeping the core together was necessary. They are well on their way toward accomplishing that goal.