LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth #77 of the Los Angeles Rams leads players on to the field for the game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)After spending most of the 2020 NFL season on injured reserve, Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth had a hard decision to make on the 2021 season. And it looks like he’s almost ready to make it.
In a recent interview, Whitworth said that he plans to prepare and be back for next season. But he’s also nervous that the Rams’ cap situation may be an obstacle to that.
“The plan is to prepare myself to play and to plan to be back,” Whitworth said, via Yahoo Sports. “But obviously, I have no idea what’s going to happen with our salary-cap situation… You go through the offseason, you make sure you check off all the things that are feeling good and doing great.
“So, it’s a longer process than probably saying, ‘Hey, I’m back.’ It means I’m committed to being back and that’s the plan. Obviously, there’s a lot of work between now and then that has to go into that on a lot of different facets.”
Whitworth missed seven regular season games after suffering a torn MCL and damaged PCL against the Seahawks in November. He made a recovery though and was activated off the list before the Rams’ playoff game.
Andrew Whitworth plans to return but has ‘no idea’ about Rams’ salary-cap situation https://t.co/cIDoZXjZJR
— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) March 7, 2021
But Andrew Whitworth is no spring chicken. He’s 39 years old and coming off a pretty significant injury.
Whitworth still has two years left on his contract with the Rams. But they could save over $5 million in cap space if they release him. Considering that the Rams have the second-least cap space in the league per OverTheCap.com, the move might be necessary.
Will Andrew Whitworth return to the Rams for the 2021 season?