The Los Angeles Rams are paying $42 million in dead money to have running back Todd Gurley and receiver Brandin Cooks play for other teams moving forward.
Just let that sit there for a second.
Now, consider what good a team could do with $42 million. Like, for instance, the 49ers.
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Reddit user u/N7_anonymous_guy recently delved into this topic, and boy did it paint an ugly picture for Los Angeles. For less than the $42 million the Rams are paying in dead money, the 49ers can afford the base salaries of: quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, cornerback Richard Sherman, defensive linemen Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa, linebackers Kwon Alexander, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw; safety Jimmie Ward, tight end George Kittle and receiver Deebo Samuel.
Oh, and "better logo+uniforms."
Yikes.
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Clearly, the Rams are paying the price for some regrettable decisions, whereas San Francisco has comparatively done a better job managing the cap. To be fair, though, some of the aforementioned 49ers players are due for imminent raises, and the difference isn't as stark when incorporating cap holds.
For instance, Garoppolo has a cap hold of $26.6 million and Sherman's is just under $14 million. So, really, for the same amount the Rams are paying in dead money for Gurley and Cooks, the 49ers can afford the cap holds of Jimmy G, Sherman and Kittle ($2.2 million).
Even so, that's pretty good.
Of course, Kittle's cap hold will balloon soon enough, but part of the reason the Niners will be able to afford his record-breaking extension is due to the forward-thinking with which they've approached the salary cap. They built through the draft, hit on their high-salaried players and haven't depleted their assets.
[RELATED: 49ers could draft, develop Kinlaw into dominant D-lineman]
Meanwhile, the Rams are in salary cap hell, have a barren draft pick arsenal and several of their marquee players have been cut or traded as a result.
The Rams are well aware that it's incredibly tough to win in the NFL. But they're about to learn that it's that much tougher when you're paying players to play somewhere else.