Kobie Turner or Byron Young: Who is the extension priority?

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 2: Braden Fiske #55 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates with Kobie Turner #91 and Byron Young #0 after completing a sack during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

When the Rams were forced to face the music of Aaron Donald's retirement a couple years ago, the last thing any fan would have expected was saying that a drafted player with 12 sacks was not a priority to keep. That seems to be what is happening with Rams edge rusher Byron Young, seemingly no better than third or fourth in line for extension priorities in 2026.

Should the Rams keep everybody or if they're forced to part with someone because of salary cap considerations should L.A. favor Kobie Turner or Byron Young?

LAR Byron Young - LB: Not certain to get extension. Young might not be a player the Rams have salary cap room to give a contract extension to, per Dan Graziano of ESPN. #NFLRumors

- MiloX Sports NFL (@MiloXSportsNFL) February 3, 2026

Can the Rams keep everybody?

Probably!

But should they? It's not as simple as the actual ability to fit everyone under the cap for a couple of years.

First of all, the Rams only have $145 million in cap liabilities in 2027, a minuscule amount by NFL standards. However, that will shrink quickly with the 2023 draft class:

• WR Puka Nacua
• DT Kobie Turner
• G Steve Avila
• OLB Byron Young

But that's not all because these players are free agents in 2027:

• QB Matthew Stafford
• WR Davante Adams
• G Kevin Dotson
• TE Colby Parkinson
• C Coleman Shelton
• RT Warren McClendon
• P Ethan Evans

That is practically the heart of the team on both lists and they all need to be paid-by the Rams or someone else-in the next 13 months.

Even the players who you say the Rams may not re-sign or may retire like Stafford and/or Adams, those players still have to be replaced by other players...and those players cost money.

The Rams have cap space but they don't for long.

Are we to the point where the Rams let a 12-sack edge rusher leave over money?

Sean McVay on extension-eligible Rams Puka Nacua, Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Steve Avila:

"Those are all guys we have strong interest in continuing our journey with those guys."

- Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) February 2, 2026

Byron Young's next contract

Young's negotiation is not about what he thinks he's worth to the Rams this year. It's about what his agent thinks he will be worth as a free agent in 2027.

THAT is the key to every negotiation: It's not current value. It's an educated guess of what he'll be worth when he becomes a free agent.

And Byron Young would make a boatload as a 2027 free agent.

The Texans valued Danielle Hunter at $35 million last year. It's a very clear estimation of the value of an edge rusher because Houston simply extended Hunter for one year and $35 million. Guaranteed.

Of course the guys like Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons make over $40 million per year, but neither the Rams nor Young can presume that he will be so amazing in 2026 that he's going to be an elite, top-5 edge rusher when he hits the market. It is far more likely that Young-who is also fighting against the fact that he's going to be a 29-year-old first-time free agent-can hit a ceiling where he's valued like Hunter.

Conversely, the Rams can argue, No, you're not going to be Danielle Hunter. You'll max out at Andrew Van Ginkel."

In that case, Van Ginkel's average salary is $23 million. It's a wide gap of $12 million per year.

So where does the truth lie?

The fact is that unless the Rams do value Byron Young as a $35 million player and offer him a wild contract, Young has absolutely no reason to sign an extension with the Rams. It would only make sense for him to play out the 2026 season and hit free agency knowing that his price will go up with any sort of bidding war between multiple teams.

Josh Sweat got $19 million per season from the Cardinals in free agency last year, but Sweat had never had a season quite as good as the one that Young just had. He never had that many sacks or QB hits and he had played for twice as many seasons by 2025.

If Sweat went back on the market now (he just had 12 sacks for the first time) he would get even more.

So Young absolutely has to test free agency unless L.A. blows him away with an offer and that seems unlikely.

Can the Rams actually lose one of their best edge rusher draft picks of the 21st century?

Which Rams edge rusher draft picks since 2000 have been better than Byron Young?

He's had 27.5 sacks in three years, he's a Pro Bowler, he's vastly surpassed third round expectations. But because the Rams did so well in the draft the last few years, there's some question if L.A. can afford to keep him. They probably can't afford to give him $30 million per season and that means he has to test the market in 2027.

Even at age 29, he's going to have an ACTIVE market and a bidding war.

The Franchise Tag? Likely over $30 million for an edge rusher in 2027.

If Puka Nacua is over $40 million and Kobie Turner is over $25 million, that's going to be very complicated to also sneak in Young, especially at a time when Stafford's contract is about to expire, as well as both of his starting guards, and also Jared Verse is extension eligible next year too.

Kobie Turner or Byron Young?

A lot of fans have made it sound like the choice is easy. The salary cap is saying something else.

What would you do?