Laurinaitis has never missed a game, was a team captain, but suffered a drop in play and production that led to him getting cut despite Rams having ample cap space.
They didn't really need the 5.25M saving, and it's pretty telling they didn't keep him even though he said he was willing to take a pay cut: “I thought maybe at worst, a pay cut. I still felt like I was producing.” (SL Post-Dispatch)
Rams' fans on FF held him as a fan favorite, but many think his play had deteriorated too much. Comments echoed our complaints about later-in-career AJ Hawk: "James was done.. He's been on the decline for the last 3 years.. The only good thing he does is call the plays.. But he's not worth the money.. We'll get more athletic and faster inside."
Rotoworld said: "The 29-year-old watched his play fall off a cliff in 2015, earning PFF's second-worst inside linebacker grade out of 60 qualifiers."
The biggest worry seems to be that Laurinaitis' body could be breaking down after 7 seasons of 100+ tackles. His 4.72 combine 40 speed wasn't great to begin with.
Post-Dispatch: "Laurinaitis kept playing despite a nagging foot injury in 2014 and an elbow injury this past season that basically had him playing with one arm over the past 10 games of the season. If he were a baseball pitcher, he would’ve needed Tommy John surgery. But for football, the elbow did not require surgery."
I wouldn't be opposed to bringing him in to see what he can do when healthy. But we already have some slow ILBs, do we really need one more?
