It has been per week for the reason that Rams’ season ended. Basic supervisor Les Snead apparently will want at the least just a few extra days earlier than he can begin significantly fascinated with the subsequent one.
“We’re going to somehow try to get through this weekend,” Snead stated Friday.
Snead most likely gained’t watch the NFC championship recreation between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders on Sunday. As a substitute, Snead, coach Sean McVay, president Kevin Demoff and vice-president Tony Pastoors will navigate a “rejuvenation period” earlier than diving headlong into the Rams’ main offseason points.
No offseason concern looms bigger than quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The 16-year veteran is underneath contract via the 2026 season however, because the Rams uncomfortably came upon final offseason, Stafford will not be happy with what has develop into a below-market deal. The drama quietly performed out via the draft and offseason exercises earlier than the Rams lastly bent to his calls for and agreed to regulate his contract.
One other spherical of changes could possibly be on the desk.
If Stafford, who turns 37 in two weeks, doesn’t retire, might Snead definitively say that Stafford can be again?
“He still has years with us, so he’s still a Ram,” Snead stated. “I know this: We’ll sit down with all parties to work through that portion of it when we get to that. … That’s something that’s going to be a big line item.
Will quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) be handing the football to running back Kyren Williams for the Rams next season?
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I think Sean mentioned it. You don’t want those types of issues dragging out throughout the offseason and kind of being a theme going into the season.”
If the Rams and Stafford can’t agree on a option to transfer ahead, one other commerce involving the quarterback will not be out of the realm of chance. In 2021, two weeks after the Rams misplaced a divisional-round recreation towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers, Snead traded quarterback Jared Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round choose to the Detroit Lions to amass Stafford, who led them to a Tremendous Bowl title in his first season.
“On that one,” Snead stated, “Matthew probably disturbed our rejuvenation period because I think we did play in the divisional round that year and then maybe a week later is when it leaked that he would like to be traded and the Lions were thinking of trading him, so we had to get back to work a little bit quicker than we wanted to.”
Snead didn’t sound as if the Rams are actively buying Stafford however additionally didn’t say he wouldn’t be traded.
“On trades, it’ll take someone calling or us reaching out if we want to do that,” he stated. “Those are the things that’ll be determined down the road.”
Receiver Cooper Kupp’s state of affairs is the opposite main concern. Early this season, the Rams contemplated dealing the 2021 offensive participant of the yr and Tremendous Bowl most respected participant, however stored him after which watched his manufacturing wane. Requested if the Rams would commerce the receiver if he doesn’t conform to restructure the extension he signed in 2022, Snead stated he couldn’t reply that as a result of they’d not spoken to Kupp in regards to the state of affairs.
Snead talked about that Stafford and Kupp had been amongst “a subset of players” — one that just about actually contains proper sort out Rob Havenstein and tight finish Tyler Higbee — “that are coming to the end of their careers,” and contracts.
“Do you keep going forward with that same contract?” Snead stated. “Do you restructure it in some way? For many reasons. Those are all issues we’ve got to really sit down and talk through.”
The Rams mind belief additionally will focus on offensive lineman Jonah Jackson’s state of affairs. Final March the Rams gave the free-agent offensive lineman a contract that included $34 million in ensures. Jackson suffered a shoulder damage early in coaching camp, nevertheless, was positioned on injured reserve after the second recreation and didn’t reestablish himself as a starter.
Jackson is scheduled to earn $9 million in every of the subsequent two seasons, however not one of the wage is assured, in response to Overthecap.com.
Snead famous that regardless of Jackson’s accidents and the continuity that different linemen established throughout his absence, Jackson displayed knowledgeable perspective and accepted his function.
“It’s hard to move on from quality offensive linemen,” Snead stated.
A attainable extension for working again Kyren Williams is also “something that’s going to be on the plate,” Snead stated.
The Rams have had success within the final two drafts, discovering stars corresponding to receiver Puka Nacua and defensive sort out Kobe Turner in 2023 and edge rusher Jared Verse and defensive lineman Braden Fiske, amongst others, final yr.
The Rams have the twenty sixth choose on this draft. They don’t have a second-round choose.
“Twenty-six is an interesting place to be,” Snead stated. “Do you move up? Do you move back? Do you stay and pick?
“”That one’s a tough one to attempt to guess.”
