The Rams were going to trade or cut Tavon Austin. Now they’re keeping him

The 2017 season was a resurgence for the Rams’ offense, but Tavon Austin wasn’t a big part of it. Two years into his four-year, $42 million contract, the Rams were reportedly ready to move on.

But then the new league year started and the Rams hadn’t released or traded Austin. Now he’s staying in LA, albeit at a discount:

Austin with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Five years into his career, he hasn’t lived up to his draft status or the massive extension he signed before the 2016 season.

But Austin will get another chance to prove his worth with the Rams.

It’s simple. Austin was the second-highest paid player on the Rams’ roster last season, yet he was quickly phased out of their plans in Sean McVay’s first season as coach.

Austin was the team’s second-leading rusher with 270 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but as a receiver, he barely contributed. He made over $1 million per catch in 2017 and ended up with 47 receiving yards and no touchdowns despite playing in every single game for the Rams.

He was eventually replaced by Pharoh Cooper as the team’s return man, as well.

Austin played in 15 games in 2016, but finished with just 509 receiving yards and four total touchdowns (three receiving, one rushing). The team wanted to see what McVay could do with the receiver, and the dead money hit of nearly $20 million kept him on the roster last season.

But with Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, and Cooper Kupp added in the offseason, Austin’s role diminished. Woods and Kupp return, but Watkins has moved on, signing with the Chiefs in free agency.

His production over the course of the season suggests he’s a complementary player and not someone the team can rely on to be the main guy.

Austin flashed elite speed with a 4.34 40-yard dash at the 2013 NFL Combine. That, coupled with his versatility and a prolific college career at West Virginia with 1,289 receiving yards, 643 rushing yards, and 15 total touchdowns in his senior season, was enough for the Rams to draft him early.

But he never lived up to his billing. Austin is pretty limited to the slot to be effective as a receiver, but the Rams must think he can provide some value if they’re keeping him around.

They’ve invested heavily in the offense, and it paid off last year. The 11-5 Rams finished with the top-scoring offense in the NFL and won the NFC West for the first time since 2003. All their top offensive players are back, too.

Quarterback Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in 2016, had a breakout year. NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley rebounded from his sophomore slump to lead the league in rushing touchdowns, but he was also the team’s second-best receiver last year with 788 yards and six touchdown catches. Austin, Woods, Cooper, Kupp, and tight ends Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett are all under contract through at least 2019.

The Rams save money by getting Austin to take a pay cut, and that’s a little more money they can put toward giving Aaron Donald the contract he deserves.