Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson wasted little time signing his franchise tag.
Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager reported Monday that the corner signed his $16.7 million tender.
The Rams and Johnson have until July 15 to strike a multi-year deal, but the sides don't appear close on a long-term pact. By signing the tag, Johnson ensures the Rams can't change course and rescind the one-year tender -- a la Josh Norman and the Carolina Panthers last year.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Rams GM Les Snead said the team needed to find out if Johnson "fit" in new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' system.
"He's definitely a viable player, we need him," Snead said of Johnson last week. "So now we change coordinators, Wade Phillips. It's a different system than we had last year. But I do know this, Wade values corners.
"So, I think what we're going to do with Trumaine, because everybody's new, is hey, we need to work together, live together, see if we're all a fit. Does Tru fit Wade? Does Wade fit Tru? And then at that point because it is obvious from the tag number and what corners get paid, a heavy investment and you want to be right with that. Especially when you go long term. And that's because we got a lot of changing parts."
If 2017 becomes a trial season and Johnson plays well, he'll be in for another big payday on the open market next season. If he plays mediocre, the Rams paid a hefty price for a one-year experiment.
