--- description: St. Louis Rams cut the openly gay defensive end Saturday, but analysts say he has a future in the NFL title: What’s Next for Michael Sam? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt441a6a91be8cfc60/6986a192169ab05dfd27af65/474716413.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Football](/tag/football/) ## Football Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What’s Next for Michael Sam? by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 31, 2014 3:27 PM CUT  INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 24: Former Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam looks on during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 24, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 24: Former Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam looks on during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 24, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)Joe Robbins—Getty Images by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 31, 2014 3:27 PM CUT The NFL may not see its first openly gay player on a regular season roster this year after all. The St. Louis Rams announced Saturday that Michael Sam [didn’t make](http://time.com/3230896/michael-sam-st-louis-rams-nfl-career/ "undefined") the team’s 53-man roster, but [analysts say](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2014/08/30/whats-next-for-michael-sam/ "undefined") the rookie defensive end still has a shot at a career in the NFL. Sam now becomes a free agent, but if another team doesn’t pick him up, he might end up back where he started: with the Rams, as part of their 10-member practice squad, the Washington _Post_ [reported](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2014/08/30/whats-next-for-michael-sam/ "undefined"). In that case, the player would practice with the team but not play in games. Watch the video above for more on what analysts say is in store for Sam. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3239172/michael-sam-st-louis-rams-nfl/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3239172/michael-sam-st-louis-rams-nfl/"},"headline":"What’s Next for Michael Sam?","datePublished":"2014-08-31T15:27:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:56:59.243Z","description":"St. Louis Rams cut the openly gay defensive end Saturday, but analysts say he has a future in the NFL","url":"https://time.com/3239172/michael-sam-st-louis-rams-nfl/","keywords":["Football"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt441a6a91be8cfc60/6986a192169ab05dfd27af65/474716413.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt441a6a91be8cfc60/6986a192169ab05dfd27af65/474716413.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2014 NFL Combine","caption":"2014 NFL Combine","creditText":"Joe Robbins—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/football/","name":"Football"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3239172/michael-sam-st-louis-rams-nfl/","name":"What’s Next for Michael Sam?"}}]}] ```