LOS ANGELES — The Rams will not be allowing Quentin Lake to hit free agency.
The team announced on Thursday that it had signed the fourth-year safety to a three-year contract extension, ensuring that Lake will not hit the open market this spring. The deal is worth $42 million with $25.7 million guaranteed, according to multiple media reports.
Lake, in his second season as a team captain, has been instrumental to the Rams’ defense the last two years. When he has been healthy, he’s hardly come off the field as he’s bounced between safety and nickel cornerback.
A former sixth-round pick out of UCLA, Lake is the first defensive player drafted by the Rams to receive an extension to his rookie contract since Aaron Donald.
“I’m so excited,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “You talk about a guy that does everything right, you talk about everything you want in a Ram. He’s meant so much to this defense, he’s meant so much to me personally just in my first couple years being the DC. So any time you get guys that do it right that are great players that get rewarded, it’s great to see.”
Lake has missed the last six games following surgery on a dislocated elbow, and his absence has only made his importance to what the Rams do on defense more pronounced.
Without Lake, the Rams have ranked 10th in estimated points added (EPA) per play on dropbacks (-0.053) and 21st in rush EPA per play (-0.029). The Rams ranked third in both categories in the first nine games of the season prior to Lake’s injury.
“He does so many things and wears so many hats for this defense,” Shula said. “He’s a great tackler and he’s really physical. I always say, he doesn’t get enough credit for how physical he plays. He plays extremely hard every single snap.”