[Zen_Ronin]

First off, if we fielded the EXACT same team next season as we did this season. I have our floor at 10 wins, 12-14 wins is entirely possible.

I think Kupp is gone...... can he convert to TE?

So I will amend my draft/FA needs to:
CB
OT
WR (or 2)
RB
LB

Maybe not necessarily in that order, but close to it.

We have a great team folks. The results today sucked, but our future under McVay remains bright.

[WaddyWasWideOpen]

the offense is nowhere near great and of the caliber to win 3 playoff games. Rams currently only have 4 26 slot picks, 1, 3, 4 and 3 6ths. Hardly loaded. SM will always have a competitive team. But unless there is some miracle, then expect the same result next year from the past 2 years of STB and blowing playoff games because the offense sucks due to lack of explosive playmakers.

[ramsman34]

Finally zen. lol. I wanted to post an offseason moves thread. And a draft thread about :30 after the game. lol
Kupp stays
Staff stays
Have stays
Higs stays
A Jax gets a new deal
Role and fringe players with expiring contracts, depends on how they players (deeper analysis of the roster later)

Then. The Rams target - corner, ILB, Te, Wr, Rb. More to come on this later too. And expecting great insight from the Sr. Bowl forward from the excellent draftniks we have here. You know who you are.

Horns Up

[ramsman34]

the offense is nowhere near great and of the caliber to win 3 playoff games. Rams currently only have 4 26 slot picks, 1, 3, 4 and 3 6ths. Hardly loaded. SM will always have a competitive team. But unless there is some miracle, then expect the same result next year from the past 2 years of STB and blowing playoff games because the offense sucks due to lack of explosive playmakers.

Bro, they were ONE rookie mistake - thought a stunt was coming, and it wasn’t (Fangio), from WINNING. Give them an offseason to add speed/explosiveness. If you, me and every other fan sees it, don’t your think MCV sees it too??

[Zen_Ronin]

Have to disagree about Kupp, unless he takes a HUGE paycut. You can't justify paying him $30mil for the production he showed this year, and its a pretty safe bet he'll drop off even further next year. Not sure what his buy out is, but I see trade, buy our, or retirement. Maybe he does what AD didn't and signs up for a Championship run next year. 🤷‍♂️

The thing the Rams absolutely MUST do this year, is plan for life without Stafford. I can see one more year, perhaps another after that if he balls out next season but time comes for us all, and it's coming for our QB1. I think it would be an insane waste of an opportunity not to have a guy sit under Stafford and learn from all his experience as he aclimates to the league. There is a reason GB has 30(ish) years of QB success. I'd love to see a QB drafted this year....who? No idea. But we really should take a shot on someone McVay likes.

[ramsman34]

Got no problem with any of that, Zen. Kupp restructures to play one more with Stafford. The War room next season will be such that there will be 5-6 guys who truly rotate and Staff will build chem with all of them. I truly see that going down. Nacua, Kupp, J Whitt, poss D Rob. Then a battle for 2 more spots with new guys and X in the mix. Tutu is gone.
MCV wants to diversify assets. A new TE is coming as well. Higs needs to be rotational so he is deadly like he has been since his return. There are a lot of developmental QBs each year. I don’t see the Rams going that route. They either wait to draft a guy high (Manning) or find another top 10 vet to trade for.

[BobCarl]

Have to disagree about Kupp, unless he takes a HUGE paycut. You can't justify paying him $30mil for the production he showed this year,

Would you give him a 1 yr $7.5 mill contract to play in 2025?

Of that $30 mill ....

$4 mill signing bonus proration has already been paid to him. he doesn't give this back.
$5.78 restructure proration has already been paid to him. he doesn't give this back
$12.5 is guaranteed to him. Kupp gets this money even if he doesn't play

The Rams control ONLY $7.5 mill

[Elvis]

Rams have the 26th pick:

[ziggy]

Higs showed his value in McVay's scheme. We know that Snead targeted Bowers and MCM before that.

A big bruising TE (or RB who really plays like a TE...) would change our offense in ways that we need. We need to get diversity in our offense, we need to get Staff a couple more steps and seconds to throw.

I hope we find one and get one in the draft. It'd change our O significantly...

[Dare]

I think:
Rob Havenstein was for all intents and purposes in a contract year in 2024. The remaining years are options years and his age and missing games hurt his "options", i.e. he's going to want an extension with big guarantees which isn't going to happen. so I think he's gone.

Cooper Kupp I think he's gone as well. His injury history works against his $29.7M salary. At 32 his trade market is basically nil, again his injury history.

Matt Stafford is ready for retirement. His health is an issue that people don't want to accept. At almost $50M he's not worth it for a QB who you can say will probably miss games or at least fade as the season wears on. Like Kupp I doubt he has any trade value and IMO he either wants a contender or will join the media where he will make as much or more for a lot longer.

Alaric Jackson is going to demand top dollar. But there are flaws in his game and technique to this day. He's good but not elite. His tenure in LA will depend upon how much the Rams are willing to pay him vs Jackson's personal vision of his worth. I have no doubt some team will over pay for him and he and his agent will go where the dollars are. So I don't envision him in LA next year. The Rams though should get a nice comp pick for him next year.

Ahkelo Witherspoon I figure he gets a two year extension. Both he and Durant played well down the stretch.

Demarcus Robinson Hes shown himself to be a very good receiver. That said he's going to go where he can be at least a #2 WR with that kind of contract. There is no way the Rams can match what he's going to be offered. He should talk to the Chargers. The Rams probably see him as a comp pick next year.

Tutu Atwell has finally emerged as a good WR. That said he no longer fits the scheme. McVay has evolved the WR position in the same way he did with the RB position. The Rams love his speed but he's too small to play the blocking role therefore it limits his utility in this offense. He like Robinson should talk to the Chargers and again he's a potential comp pick next year.

Kyren Williams I think will be released. I think he only had one more year left in LA anyway but his fumbling is a huge issue. Corum and Schrader look to be the new RBs next year.

Darious Williams could be on the trading block or released. Durant and Witherspoon look to be the incumbent starters next year with Forbes as the #3 CB. Unless Williams returns to SCB where he started he doesn't have a role. That said I think Lampkin and Woods will get long looks at SCB. Wallace is obviously in Shula's scheme the zone CB he wants on the field in his zone looks in his zone scheme Shula really won't need that specialized SCB except when he's going to play man but with Witherspoon, Durant and Forbes he can coach up Forbes to play SCB. Regardless I see Williams as the odd man out other than as depth.

Tyler Higbee is in a contract year in 2025 so he's not going anywhere. But his successor is still up in the air. I think they take a TE on the third day of the draft. Which would be ironic since Higbee was a 4th round pick himself. Colby Parkinson has one more year on his contract but his play has been disappointing. He's due to make $9.8M which IMO is too much for what he's provided. His dead cap is $6.6M so it's manageable if they want to release him.

DRAFT PRIORITIES

QB, OT (2), ILB, TE, NT, WR

I believe the Rams picks in the draft right now:
Rd 1
Rd 3 (2 picks)
Rd 4
Rd 6 (3 picks)