Guard Rodger Saffold is scheduled to hit the open market in March, but he wants to stay put in sunny Los Angeles. The Rams’ longest-tenured player says he wants to re-sign with the club and return for a tenth season (via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com). 
As one of the more reliable left guards in the league, the Rams certainly want Saffold to return. The veteran also hinted that he may be willing to take a hometown discount to make that happen.
“You want to be paid fairly,” Saffold said. “But I think the culture and the team that I’m around is worth just as much as the extra money that I could get from going somewhere else. That’s just with getting older and understanding what I’m around. I want to be successful for years to come, and I think in order to do that — I’ve been with this team for so long already, it’s like why start changing now that it’s good.”
Saffold, 31 in June, currently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 ranked guard in the NFL. The advance metrics show that Saffold is a balanced blocker in all scenarios, which is exactly what his film shows.
“What he enables us to do both in the run and the pass,” head coach Sean McVay said. “The combination of his athleticism, his ability to get to the second level, play in space, but then also play with power, get removal at the line of scrimmage. You’re not limited in any really scheme run-wise. He’s a great matchup.”
The Rams and Saffold are expected to discuss a new deal when the season ends, but at this rate, that might not be for a while. The 12-3 Rams profile as one of the league’s Super Bowl favorites heading into the postseason.