Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Rams

Well, that was eventful. Somehow, the Rams acquired a two-time All-Pro cornerback — Trent McDuffie — in a blockbuster trade and he became their fourth-most notable addition. In terms of player acquisitions, few modern NFL offseasons can match this one for firepower. After playing it safer from 2023-25, the Rams are fully back in “eff them picks” mode. Though, one big-picture caveat did some with that.

The Rams refueled their secondary by adding McDuffie but made that trade feel like a footnote when they landed Myles Garrett from the Browns in a June blockbuster. The Garrett trade appears directly responsible for reawakening Aaron Donald. The previously retired all-time great is back after two seasons away.

After the Rams saw their defense fail to contain the Seahawks in an NFC championship game shootout, an armada of stars will be called upon to make sure that does not recur. Los Angeles did complete an interesting half-measure, however, by drafting hopeful Matthew Stafford heir apparent Ty Simpson. As the 2026 Rams are all in, Sean McVay and Les Snead used their rare mid-first-round real estate to hopefully add their future centerpiece player — albeit one who is unlikely to help their Super Bowl LXI mission.

Trades:

The McVay era had already produced a slew of eventful trades. The Rams traded two first-round picks for both Stafford and Jalen Ramsey. They sent a first-rounder to the Patriots for Brandin Cooks. L.A. benefited from sending second- and third-round picks to Denver for Von Miller. However, the team operated in a more conservative fashion since a 2023 offseason that saw Ramsey traded to the Dolphins. The Rams entered the 2024, ’25 and ’26 drafts with a first-round pick. That came after not making a Round 1 selection from 2017-23.

After using their Falcons-obtained pick (No. 13 overall) on Simpson, the Rams no longer needed to save their 2027 first-rounder for a potential Stafford heir apparent. That left a green light for a team still built around an aging quarterback.

Once the Browns restructured Garrett’s contract, moving his option bonus date from mid-March to the start of the regular season, offers came in. Although Andrew Berry indicated he was not trading Garrett, it was clear the Browns and Rams had a deal in place for some time. The trade was announced shortly after 3pm CT on June 1 — a pivotal date annually in the NFL.

As the Browns said goodbye to their best player and are splitting a $46.93MM dead money bill over two years, the Rams acquired the game’s most dominant pass rusher and did not need to agree to a new contract upon doing so. Similar to the Maxx Crosby situation, Garrett resided as an All-Pro edge rusher trapped on a struggling team. While the Raiders were not able to cash out on Crosby ahead of his age-29 season, the Browns collected full value on Garrett before his 31st birthday.

Moving Verse in addition to first-, second- and third-round choices (the 2029 pick is conditional on the Rams not trading Garrett to another AFC North team; that would move the ’29 selection to a first-rounder) brought better value than the Cowboys received for Micah Parsons. Verse (26 in November) is not yet eligible for an extension, whereas the Packers needed to authorize a record-smashing deal to pry Parsons from Dallas. The Browns have Verse contracted through 2027, with a fifth-year option in place for ’28. That increased the edge rusher’s value, giving the Rams enough ammo to acquire Garrett without including two future firsts like they did for Ramsey (2019) and Stafford (2021).

The Crosby trade would have joined this one as an outlier among blockbuster pass rusher swaps, as Garrett did not reset the market on an extension upon arrival. I mentioned in a summer Trade Rumors Front Office piece how rare it is for a pass rusher trade not to involve a subsequent extension. Here is how the other 21st-century edge rusher deals involving a future first played out:

• 2001: Rams sent Kevin Carter to Titans, who authorized six-year, $42.75MM extension
• 2006: Three-team trade (Jets, Falcons, Broncos) relocated John Abraham to Atlanta, which gave DE six-year, $45MM extension
• 2008: Chiefs dealt Jared Allen to Vikings, who handed ascending DE six-year, $73.26MM extension
• 2018: Raiders sent Khalil Mack to Bears, who authorized six-year deal worth $141MM
• 2019: Seahawks moved Frank Clark to Chiefs, who rewarded franchise-tagged DE with five-year, $104MM extension
• 2022: Broncos traded Bradley Chubb to Dolphins, who gave OLB five-year, $110MM extension
• 2025: Cowboys–Micah Parsons standoff ended with trade to Packers and four-year, $186MM extension

Despite breaking the single-season sack record, Garrett remains tied to a $40MM-per-year deal — one now $10MM south of this market’s ceiling (Will Anderson Jr.). T.J. Watt leapfrogged Garrett, as did Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson and Anderson between August and April. Garrett’s Cleveland-designed deal runs through 2030, and while the future Hall of Famer should be expected to land a raise in the not-too-distant future, the Rams not needing to do a new deal now worked to their advantage.

The Rams, like they did with Stafford in 2024, did move money from future years into 2026 for Garrett. The 10th-year vet will now make $37MM this year, instead of $31.5MM. A slew of void years are included in this rework, bringing Garrett’s 2026 cap hit down to $8.44MM and his 2027 number to barely $15MM. Garrett’s Browns deal contained $41.7MM in 2027 guarantees. The Rams’ June rework, which included $37MM guaranteed at signing, reduced Garrett’s 2027 guarantees by $10.7MM but increased his 2028 guarantees by $7.2MM.

In one of the most notable rich-get-richer moves in NFL history, Garrett joins a Rams team that already saw its defense rank 10th in scoring defense and 11th in EPA per play last season. That marked a significant improvement from 2024, and the ’26 team will throw a Garrett-Donald pass rush at teams while McDuffie and ex-Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson serve as outside cornerbacks.

A seven-time All-Pro (five first-team honors), Garrett is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Despite missing the second half of the 2019 season (due to the helmet strike on Mason Rudolph), the former No. 1 overall pick ranks 20th in career sacks (125.5). He will not turn 31 until December. Garrett set the single-season sack record (23) on a 5-12 team; the Rams will provide more pass-rushing opportunities.

As our Nikhil Mehta noted in his Browns Offseason In Review, Garrett leads the NFL in QB pressures over the past two years (97); he and Watt are tied for most QB hits (174) this decade. Garrett has amassed a staggering sack streak by reaching at least 14 in each of the past five seasons; this included 16 apiece in 2021 and ’22. He also paced the NFL in tackles for loss in each of the past two years (33, 22).

Verse only totaled 12 sacks over his first two seasons; Byron Young matched that in 2025 alone. But the Rams’ first Round 1 pick since Jared Goff produced 22 combined TFLs over his two Rams campaigns. He was also one of the game’s top pressure artists. The Rams rostering Young, however, allowed for a quality homegrown Garrett sidekick to remain in place.

Prior to Young’s 2023 arrival, the Rams had aggressively pursued then-Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns. L.A. offered Carolina two first-rounders and a third for Burns at the 2022 deadline. That is a decision Carolina would like to have back, but Los Angeles also pursued Garrett at that deadline — when the team was struggling amid an injury-plagued Super Bowl LVI title defense. Two-plus years later, Garrett had requested a trade — as the Browns had sunk to 3-14 following a 2023 wild-card berth — and a host of teams predictably inquired.

The Browns appeased Garrett with the extension, but he was not exactly content going through last season on another no-hope roster. The two-time DPOY is now part of a roster that rivals just about any the 21st century has produced. The first domino to fall in creating this machine figures to help out considerably as well.

As the Rams acquired the Falcons’ 2026 first-rounder in the deal that gave Atlanta access to edge rusher James Pearce Jr. last year, Los Angeles entered the ’26 draft with an opportunity. While connections to this draft as the gateway to finding a Stafford successor naturally emerged, the Rams threw teams off the scent by trading No. 29 overall to the Chiefs for McDuffie.

As this space has referenced on several occasions, Kansas City opts against extending cornerbacks. Watson and McDuffie are the latest examples in an assembly line that dates back to Marcus Peters, whom the Rams obtained in 2018. While McDuffie is not coming off his best season, he has been one of the NFL’s top corners throughout his four-year career.

McDuffie was more consistent than Peters in K.C. — albeit without the splashy interception stats — and was integral to the Chiefs winning back-to-back Super Bowls. McDuffie, 26 next week, earned All-Pro honors in 2023 and ’24. He has primarily played an outside cornerback role as a pro, but the Chiefs also found good use for the 2022 first-round pick as a chess piece that could thrive inside. That will give the Rams intriguing options.

Going back to the Goff trade-up, the Rams have now surrendered eight future firsts since April 2016. This is well-covered ground for L.A., which has made this formula work thanks to hitting on the trades and finding later-round pieces.

Not quite mentioned on the tier Ramsey occupied at his peak, McDuffie still commanded a four-pick package — one that looked similar to what the Dolphins gave up for Tyreek Hill four years ago. Like Hill, the Chiefs had engaged in extension talks with McDuffie (who was the top prize from the Hill asset trove) but saw those talks stall. Unable to extend their top corner by Week 1 of last season, the Chiefs reengaged with McDuffie’s camp at the Combine. Previously connected to seeking a top-market deal, McDuffie ended up getting it — from the Rams.

Days after the trade, the sides agreed to a four-year, $124MM extension that included $50MM guaranteed at signing. A friendly guarantee structure also greets McDuffie, who will see his full 2028 salary become guaranteed on Day 5 of the 2027 league year and $23MM of his $29.82MM 2029 base salary lock in on Day 5 of the ’28 league year. The Rams’ trade package helped create leverage for McDuffie, who moved past Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardner on the CB market despite an inferior overall resume.

While subsequent extensions for Denzel Ward, Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez dropped McDuffie to fourth in CB AAV, the fifth-year player did quite well for himself. Receiving that lofty full guarantee and the rolling guarantee structure represented a better reality than a 2027 Chiefs franchise tag, and Kansas City’s four-year No. 1 corner will be expected to play out his prime in L.A. (as the Chiefs regrouped with Mansoor Delane’s rookie deal).

The Rams had given Atwell a one-year, $10MM contract in March 2025 but saw the former second-rounder disappoint on the deal. As a result, L.A. let him walk in free agency — where only a one-year, $1.4MM Dolphins accord awaited. With the Dolphins’ rebuild effort later including two third-round rookie WRs (Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell), Atwell became expendable.

The diminutive wideout is back in L.A. at a much cheaper rate than 2025. Atwell, 27 next month, has not quite justified his No. 57 draft slot, but he did combine for 1,045 receiving yards from 2023-24. A Rams team connected to higher-end targets this offseason will reincorporate Atwell into its auxiliary receiver cadre. A 2025 fourth-round pick, Hunter did not log an offensive snap last season. Ronnie Rivers resides as the Rams’ RB3 behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.

Extensions and restructures:

The final domino of this explosive Rams offseason came together on cutdown day. After nearly three months of rumors, Donald agreed to unretire after two years away. The Garrett trade brought the all-time great defensive tackle to publicly consider returning, but he and McVay had discussed it prior to that momentous trade.

Now 35, Donald has been away from the sport since retiring in March 2024. Considering the Rams gave the DT icon a three-year, $95MM deal — a true raise that added no new years to the future Hall of Famer’s six-year extension from 2018 — in 2022, it came as a surprise when he walked away. Another $30MM remained on Donald’s deal, but the Rams bid farewell to a player who had previously been set up for a 2028 Hall of Fame induction.

A 10-time Pro Bowler who graced seven All-Pro first teams, Donald broached the comeback subject shortly after the Rams acquired Garrett. He conducted a workout with the team before training camp (July 13), and McVay voiced optimism the 2014 first-round pick would come back.

Donald went through two more workouts with the Rams in August but later said he had been doing individual drills on his own since before the Garrett acquisition. Donald indicated the McDuffie and Watson additions were also part of his calculous. The Rams did not fully know Donald’s plans on cutdown day, and a team now up against the NFL’s $301.2MM salary cap had contingency plans in place in case he backed out.

J.J. Watt, probably Donald’s lone true peer in terms of sheer D-tackle dominance in this era, made it known he was keeping a comeback door open through the 2024 season. Early in his CBS days, Watt said he was staying in football shape for a possible return to the Texans or alliance with brother T.J. on the Steelers. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year reminded, however, the 2024 season marked the endpoint on his openness to return. That came and went, but Donald will give it a go after two years away.

Although Philip Rivers returned after nearly five full seasons away, Donald doing so at one of the game’s most violent positions separates this comeback from that one and even Deion Sanders’ Ravens return — after three seasons retired — in 2004. Reggie White returned as a Panther in 2000 at age 39, after one year away. He was not nearly as productive as his Packers version. Rob Gronkowski’s comeback was more eventful, though he only spent a year away and returned for his Buccaneers stint at age 31. Former Cowboys D-end Ed “Too Tall” Jones came back after a one-year boxing sabbatical, though he was just 29 at that time.

Donald being 35 and having spent two years out of football makes his comeback closer to White’s than Jones’ among D-linemen. The two-year playing hiatus notwithstanding, Donald was still playing at an elite level when he retired the first time. He ranked first in pass rush win rate, notching 16 TFLs and 23 QB hits. PFF has never viewed Donald outside the top three among interior DLs, ranking him (from 2014-23) second, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, third, second.

If Donald is close to his pre-retirement level, this is a transformative addition for a Rams defense that still rosters Young and D-linemen Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske. That young pair now accompanies a duo that has combined for five Defensive Player of the Year honors. And neither will be tied to a top-market deal. Donald had been the NFL’s highest-paid DT from August 2018 until his 2023 retirement, but the Rams have him back for $20MM.

That may seem like a hefty chunk of change for a player coming out of retirement, but in terms of base pay, it is a significant trim from Donald’s previous contract. It its also tied for 19th among IDLs entering the season. The Rams set a low bar for some of Donald’s incentives, as he will earn an additional $2.5MM if the team makes the playoffs and Donald logs at least a 15% defensive snap share (he played between 76-90% of the Rams’ defensive snaps from 2015-23). Another $1.25MM would await if the Rams book a divisional-round berth and more millions would await the further the team advances.

Regardless of the talent assembled on defense, this Rams machine probably breaks down if Stafford suffers a significant injury. The 2009 No. 1 pick has likely moved onto the right side of the Hall of Fame bubble due to his performance in L.A., which featured an MVP award at 37, and the Rams took care of him after dragging their feet in 2025.

The Rams were hesitant to overcommit to Stafford a year ago, and the team allowing its star quarterback to shop himself in trades — where offers carrying $90MM-plus in guarantees awaited from the Giants and Raiders — was odd in the moment and looks stranger now. Stafford put together his finest season in 2025, powering the Rams to the NFC championship game after producing a 46:8 TD-INT ratio at 7.9 yards per attempt. The Rams’ stance on authorizing a $50MM-plus AAV for their QB changed as a result.

Stafford wisely reconsidered a relocation last year, agreeing to a redone deal that brought a better guarantee structure. L.A.’s two-year, $84MM rework brought $40MM guaranteed, but after Stafford outplayed that contract and indicated he would return for an 18th season, the Rams progressed quickly on an extension this time around. Stafford has considered playing into his 40s, and he now has security beyond 2026.

Stafford’s fifth NFL contract sets him apart from peers at this juncture. The one-year agreement makes him the only member of the league’s $50MM-per-year club to enter that territory on a deal spanning less than three years. Stafford is also the only player north of 32 tied to a contract worth at least $50MM annually. Aaron Rodgers had been tied to a three-year extension eclipsing $50MM per annum in 2022, but that Packers contract was essentially designed to be traded (and it was).

Now under contract through 2027, Stafford will see $45MM guaranteed upfront (consisting of 2026 compensation and a $5MM 2027 roster bonus). He will be due another $50MM (in the form of a $45MM salary and $5MM roster bonus if he is still a Ram by Day 3 of the ’27 league year, per Spotrac.

Stafford’s present form may ensure he receives another extension to keep this window open. It seems unlikely Simpson would threaten the starter’s job security over the next two seasons, and the Rams will likely reevaluate this situation before the 2027 campaign.

Free agency additions:

The Rams are importing the Chiefs’ 2025 starting cornerbacks, giving Watson two fully guaranteed years days after trading for McDuffie. Watson is another Kansas City long-odds CB success story. The former seventh-round pick saw steady time at corner even before the 2024 L’Jarius Sneed trade, and he put together his best season at a good time.

PFF ranked Watson 17th among corners last season. The 6-2 cover man has only surrendered one touchdown over his past 21 regular-season games (though, DeVonta Smith did beat him for a memorable score in Super Bowl LIX). Set to turn 28 this month, Watson was certainly on the older end for a first-time FA. That raised the stakes for his market. A Rams team that could not count on its corners in 2025 awaited.

Watson bounced back from a 2024 broken leg injury, playing 15 games last season. The Chiefs used the Washington State alum almost exclusively on the perimeter (1,996 plays) during his rookie contract. While McDuffie has shown the ability to play inside, Watson has logged only 49 career slot snaps. The Rams having Quentin Lake under contract through 2028 will cover them, with Watson likely to continue concentrating on boundary work.

A Rams team that had cut costs at corner following Ramsey’s five-year, $100MM extension paid for it at the worst time. Sam Darnold threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC championship game. With $84MM in upfront guarantees doled out to McDuffie and Watson, no team was more serious about upgrading at this position this offseason.

Re-signings:

PFR’s 2024 free agent list turned out to be a bit too bullish on Curl’s earning potential, but the former Washington seventh-round pick had age on his side. Unlike Watson, Curl was on the younger end for a first-time free agent; just before his 25th birthday, he signed a two-year deal worth $9MM. That effectively became a “prove it” deal. Curl capitalized and cashed in while still in his prime two years later.

Curl, 27, received much of his 2027 compensation guaranteed at signing. The remaining $5.5MM of his $11.6MM 2027 base salary locks in on Day 3 of the ’27 league year, per OverTheCap. He will be due a $3.43MM roster bonus if still a Ram on Day 3 of the 2028 league year. This sets up Curl well after a disappointing FA foray in 2024, and the Rams now have four of their five DB regulars on veteran contracts (with Kamren Kinchens the only rookie-deal cog left).

This blueprint differs significantly from 2025, when only Lake — who is on a three-year, $38.25MM extension — was tied to a notable veteran accord. PFF ranked Curl 10th among safeties last season (second against the run), and his two INTs were his first since his 2020 rookie season. The lack of ball production did not hurt Curl’s earning power much this time around, as he proved a fit in Shula’s scheme. The Rams’ all-Kamren safety crew stands to be in place for at least two more seasons, as Kinchens’ rookie deal expires after 2027.

After several years as a tried-and-true 11 personnel team, the Rams led the league in 13 personnel (three tight ends) last season. McVay’s offense has leaned into TE work, and Higbee is back despite the team having Colby Parkinson and 2025 second-rounder Terrance Ferguson rostered. The Rams then drafted Ohio State’s Max Klare in Round 2, further crowding their TE room.

The longest-tenured tight end in Rams history, Higbee missed 14 games while recovering from an ACL tear in 2024. He then missed seven due to ankle trouble last year. His fourth contract represents a steep pay cut from deal No. 3 (two years, $17MM). While several RB and WR greats have populated Rams locker rooms, Higbee — a 2016 fourth-round pick — is by far the franchise’s receiving leader (3,949 yards) among TEs.

Notable losses:

• Cobie Durant, CB
• Jimmy Garoppolo, QB
• Nick Hampton, OLB
• Rob Havenstein, RT (retired)
• D.J. Humphries, T
• Derion Kendrick, CB
• Roger McCreary, CB
• Jake McQuaide, LS
• Troy Reeder, ILB
• Nick Vannett, TE
• Darious Williams, CB (retired)
• Ahkello Witherspoon, CB

Latching on with the Rams after being a post-June 1 Raiders cut in 2024, Garoppolo spent two years as Stafford’s backup. After Stafford missed eight games in 2022 and one in 2023, he made it through 2024 and ’25 unscathed. Garoppolo’s most notable work came during training camp last year, when a Stafford back injury brought several updates and plenty of first-string reps for the veteran backup. The Rams considered stashing Stafford on IR, but he held up through the NFC championship game.

Garoppolo, 34, was connected to the Cardinals and a reunion with ex-Rams OC Mike LaFleur but a negotiating snag led Arizona to add Gardner Minshew. Garoppolo retirement rumors then emerged, and he is without a team. The former 49ers Super Bowl LIV starter, though, was still on the Rams’ radar after the Simpson pick. And he remains open to playing an age-35 season. A return to the Rams would seemingly depend on the statuses of Simpson and Stetson Bennett.

The latter, a two-time national champion starter at Georgia, has never appeared in a game. He served as L.A.’s third-stringer after spending his rookie year on the NFI list. Bennett is expected to enter the season as the Rams’ backup, with Simpson in a developmental role, but a Stafford injury could certainly shake things up.

Would the Rams entrust Bennett to guide a Super Bowl contender? That question may determine Garoppolo’s prospects for a 13th NFL season. It does seem like the Rams are iffy on this prospect, as they considered Kirk Cousins and Joe Flacco as backup options before each landed elsewhere pre-draft. As of June, however, the Rams were not interested in adding a backup QB.

The only Ram left from their St. Louis days as last season wrapped, Havenstein finished last season on IR. Ankle and knee trouble sidelined the 11-year right tackle starter last season, after he had missed six games in 2024. Havenstein, 34, started all 148 games he played with the Rams.

As 2014 No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson became one of this era’s biggest busts, St. Louis hit on Havenstein a year later in Round 2. The Rams extended Havenstein in 2018 and 2022, the latter deal worth $34.5MM over three years. Havenstein played out that contract and opted not to return. Warren McClendon, a 2023 fifth-round pick, replaced the veteran last season and will enter his contract year in a starting role.

McClendon ranked 12th in pass block win rate last season and could parlay a quality 2026 into a nice free agent deal; the Rams spent plenty this offseason and have a few players from the 2023 class (Turner, Young, Nacua, Steve Avila) entering contract years.

Williams, 33, retired after a second stint with the Rams. Part of the team’s Ramsey supporting cast during its Super Bowl LVI-winning season, Williams landed a three-year, $30MM Jaguars deal in 2022. The Jags cut the former UDFA in 2024, and the Rams brought him back on a three-year, $24MM deal. Williams started 14 games during his second Rams stint, but the team overhauled its CB room this offseason. Williams retired shortly before Durant and Kendrick joined the Cowboys in free agency.

Draft:

• Round 1, No. 13 (from Falcons): Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 61: Max Klare (TE, Ohio State) (signed)
• Round 3, No. 93: Keagen Trost (T, Missouri) (signed)
• Round 6, No. 197 (from Falcons via Eagles): CJ Daniels (WR, Miami) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 232 (from Ravens): Tim Keenan III (DT, Alabama) (signed)

Trading down 20 spots to give the Falcons access to James Pearce Jr. in 2025, the Rams acquired Atlanta’s top pick. Holding their highest selection entering a draft since 2016, the Rams tossed a curveball into Round 1 by taking Simpson. Rumors had the Rams intrigued by the Alabama passer but perhaps not to the point they would go as high as taking him at No. 13. A report had Rams-Simpson connections slowing after the McDuffie trade cost the team No. 29 overall, but Los Angeles made the move anyway.

The Rams had steadily delayed the acquisition of a Stafford heir apparent, but they held a pick in draft territory they have not populated under McVay. I mentioned this as a stealth destination for Simpson in an April Trade Rumors Front Office piece — due mostly to the Rams’ rare draft real estate — but a trade-down move (or the team using future assets to move up from No. 61) appeared more likely than pulling the trigger at 13. But the Rams had eyed Simpson for a while, as it turned out, and they are grooming him for long-term L.A. residency.

Links to Makai Lemon formed, but those appear to have been smokescreens. The Rams held secret meetings with Simpson leading up to the draft, and the Jalen Milroe Crimson Tide successor consulted with Snead regarding whether he should declare for the draft or take a $6.5MM Miami NIL offer for 2026. Snead, who played at Auburn around the same time Simpson’s father (Jason) played at Mississippi State, advised the QB to declare and clearly had a vested interest in that decision.

The Rams are believed to have considered Lemon, Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and Penn State guard Vega Ioane. Simpson received reach labels by going 13th overall, but the Rams believed the Cardinals were targeting the QB with a trade-up move — similar to how the Giants landed Jaxson Dart last year. That influenced the Rams to avoid getting cute, making the pick and stashing Simpson behind Stafford and, for now, Bennett.

It is worth wondering if the Rams needed to make this pick, as McVay and their infrastructure regularly attracts talent on the field and on the coaching staff. Could the Rams have added Lemon to further strengthen their 2026 roster while punting on QB once again and trusting they could lure one to L.A. down the line? That will loom as a key question if this explosive Rams offseason does not produce a championship.

The Packers have seen Jordan Love pan out thus far, but their best shot at a Super Bowl over the past 12 years came in 2020 — when the first-round QB did not contribute to a No. 1-seeded roster. While the Rams have taken some incredible protections against that scenario by doing what they’ve done on defense, Simpson being unlikely to aid the 2026 roster — and perhaps not the ’27 team, either — will amplify this decision.

Although McVay’s post-draft presser brought a strange energy regarding the Simpson pick, he and Snead are high on the one-year Alabama starter. While this is a risk, the Rams have a sturdy foundation to develop a young passer. Stafford’s timetable will cut into an advantage of building a roster around a rookie contract, as this looks to be a Packers-like runway design — and no other team has pulled that off in the modern NFL. This will be one of the more interesting QB developmental arcs in recent history.

As if the Rams needed more help at tight end, Klare enters the season buried on the depth chart. He and Simpson holding deep backup roles either represents strange draft allocation or a loaded roster having next to no weaknesses two project picks can be made. Klare follows 2025 second-round pick Terrance Ferguson as a receiving tight end.

After a 685-yard 2024 season at Purdue, the 246-pound player earned first-team All-Big Ten acclaim at Ohio State. One of many early-round Buckeyes draftees, Klare looks to have a clear route to a regular role by 2027, when Higbee will be 34 and Parkinson a free agent.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Trost 168th in this class. Playing at four schools (Morgan State, Indiana State, Wake Forest, Mizzou) during a seven-year college career, Trost is a 25-year-old rookie. He worked as Mizzou’s right tackle starter last season.

The Rams have consistently found starters during the middle and late rounds. With a host of 2023 draftees up for extensions, McClendon has a path to free agency in 2027. Trost — on short-term IR due to a hamstring injury — could be a key developmental player this season.

Other:

Davante Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdown grabs last season, doing so in 14 games. The All-Pro collected a $6MM roster bonus in March but was informed he was part of Rams-Eagles trade talks. The Rams ended up standing down on Brown, but it was believed that early talks had them moving further than the Patriots on a trade path. By May, however, L.A. was no longer a suitor. That cleared the runway for New England, which acquired Brown for a trade package headlined by a 2028 first-round pick.

The Rams offered their 2028 first-rounder for Brown, as a Garrett trade that required L.A.’s 2027 first loomed on the horizon. An offseason in which the Rams traded three firsts for three separate All-Pros would have been one for the ages, but they stopped at two. The Rams were believed to be Brown’s preferred destination, but the team was concerned about the receiver’s degenerative knee condition. It will be Adams and Puka Nacua once again leading the way as Rams targets.

Coming off an NFL-most 129 receptions, Nacua has made some headlines over the past several months. Most notably, the All-Pro receiver checked into a rehab center in March. The 25-year-old was accused of making antisemitic statements to a woman before allegedly biting her on the shoulder Dec. 31, 2025.

Nacua was a full participant in the Rams’ offseason program, but the team has gone from prioritizing an offseason extension (as of December 2025) to a holding pattern here. The 2023 fifth-rounder is now entering a contract year, and the Rams probably want to see a stable stretch from their Day 3 WR dynamo before committing big dollars long term.

The Rams have shown a continued willingness to pay up for receiving talent, as the four combined contracts for Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp showed. They then gave Adams a two-year, $46MM deal — one that expires when Nacua’s rookie deal wraps. Nacua could be headed for franchise tag rumors, especially considering Jaxon Smith-Njigba moving the receiver AAV ceiling past $42MM this offseason.

This profiles as a seminal season for Nacua, who has established himself as one of the NFL’s best wideouts. With he and Adams on expiring deals, a loaded Rams roster has a glaring WR need for 2027.

The Rams have held internal dialogue on second contracts for members of their 2023 class, and with one franchise tag available, big decisions are coming. A 2027 exodus could transpire, given the commitments extended to outside talent this offseason.

Avila and Young are interested in second Rams contracts, though the Garrett addition is likely to send Young elsewhere. Avila, McClendon, Turner and Young join Nacua on expiring deals. With Nacua almost definitely on the 2027 tag radar, the Rams will need to address this champagne problem of sorts in the coming months.

Top 10 cap charges for 2026:

1. Matthew Stafford, QB: $48.27MM
2. Davante Adams, WR: $28MM
3. Alaric Jackson, LT: $25.38MM
4. Kevin Dotson, RG: $17.42MM
5. Kyren Williams, RB: $12.93MM
6. Quentin Lake, DB: $11.69MM
7. Poona Ford, DL: $11.43MM
8. Trent McDuffie, CB: $10.8MM
9. Coleman Shelton, C: $9.5MM
10. Colby Parkinson, TE: $9.1MM

The odds-on Super Bowl LXI favorite before Donald’s return, the Rams have their best roster of the McVay era; anything less than another home Super Bowl win would be a disappointment given the talent assembled. Los Angeles will tangle with a defending champion Seattle squad surely motivated by Vegas viewing the Rams as heavy favorites. But acquiring three All-Pro defenders, including two all-time great front-seven pieces, to support an offense centered around the reigning MVP makes this team a deserving frontrunner.

Headlined by Nacua’s evolving situation, the Rams have big-picture contract decisions to make. Farther down the road, the Simpson developmental project also stands as crucial. For now, though, a team including a handful of likely Hall of Famers will take aim at a dominant season. Stafford, Garrett, Donald and Co. headline one of the most imposing rosters to enter a season in a long time. This championship chase will be fascinating to observe.