The Rams have been doing two things since returning to Los Angeles: attempting to win a Super Bowl and trying to stay under the salary cap.

The NFL announced that the 2022 salary cap will have a ceiling of $208.2 million, a bump of about $25.7 million from 2021. This season’s figure was compromised after the league, and its teams, absorbed considerable revenue losses because of the pandemic.

Looking ahead the Rams, by roughly $3 million, are among three teams with obligations which exceed the ‘22 cap. The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys are the only other franchises that need to maneuver their future rosters to be in compliance.

Rams general manager Les Snead has tackled the chore of squeezing the Rams under the cap each year since they circled back to L.A. in 2016. The Rams aren’t shy about paying stars the market rate and they embrace a philosophy that peddles first-round picks for higher-priced proven players.

L.A. remained under this season’s cap of $182.5 million by about $7.1 million according to overthecap.com. It did so, to some degree, by reportedly restructuring the contracts of cornerback Jalen Ramsey, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, left tackle Andrew Whitworth and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods.

While that provides relief for this year, those financial gymnastics just push the team’s obligations into the future. Snead is fully cognizant of that and he’ll deal with it when it’s required.

Looking ahead to ‘22, the veteran Whitworth could retire to free up space. The Rams could also restructure the contracts of quarterback Matthew Stafford (five years, $135 million) and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (four years, $64 million).

There’s also a slew of in-house free agents, some that are restricted, that the team must make decisions on.

Among them is cornerback Darious Williams, who had a breakout season in 2020 when he paced the Rams with four interceptions and he figures to command an impressive contract if he can duplicate his performance. He was retained as a restricted free agent on a one-year, $4.7 million deal.

Another interesting player to watch is offensive lineman Austin Corbett.

A converted guard, Corbett ran with the first team at center in Thursday’s offseason training activity and he has the inside track to replace Austin Blythe. The spot opened when Blythe signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Corbett, who would be the Rams’ fourth different starting center in four years, will be an unrestricted free agent in ‘22 after his four-year, $7.5 million pact expires. He could be in a keen bargaining position if he shines this season, especially considering that the Rams didn’t draft any offensive lineman this spring.