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Rams

“Nobody said that,” Schefter then said, noting that everyone involved is downplaying this. Donald almost undoubtedly wouldn’t go through a training camp, and the Rams have yet to present him with a plan on how he’d be used. Schefter stresses that this is just a “guess” but that the “ingredients are there to make it happen.” Donald Watch will become a big part of the training camp news cycle unless someone involved throws cold water on it.

The charge against Jackson, 27, who has been with the Rams since entering the NFL in 2021, was for “a person who willfully inflicts corporal injury,” according to the LAPD. Jackson, who has played in 45 regular season games for the Rams over the past three seasons, has a history of off-the-field issues, including a 2024 suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Jackson last November was sued “by a woman who alleged he recorded her without her consent during sex, repeatedly refused to delete the video and taunted her with it,” according to ESPN. Jackson is one of several Rams players facing legal issues this offseason.

The contract tweaks moved “the vesting date of his guarantees back a few months,” allowing the Rams to bring Garrett and his record-setting deal aboard without issue. Garrett’s average annual value and contract length both remain the same. This move could allow the Rams to add another veteran or two, but we do not yet know exactly how Garrett’s money will be spread out over the Rams’ current and future books.

Schultz apparently texted Donald, 35, about whether he would consider coming out of retirement to play alongside new Rams EDGE Myles Garrett. Per Schultz, Donald responded by saying he is “for sure flirting with the idea,” and if he can “find the fire, it’s a possibility.” Donald also noted that this season’s Super Bowl will be hosted at the Rams’ SoFi Stadium, which appeals to him. Donald is still on the Rams’ reserve/retired list, so his 2024 salary can be reinstated if he decides he would like to return. According to Over The Cap, the Rams have $16.3 million in salary cap space this season. A potential return should not be expected. Retired players entertain returns from time to time, but most of the time, they decide to stay put. To be fair to Donald, though, it does seem like he is at least mildly weighing his options.

The Browns also received a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick from the Rams. Verse is a rising star in the league who has totaled 12 sacks in 34 regular season games. The 25-year-old, however, became a key part in the deal that sent Myles Garrett to the Rams, as GM Les Snead reportedly wouldn’t take no for an answer in his endeavors to acquire the 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Verse is a former first-round draft pick from the 2024 class and has two years left on his rookie deal, plus a fifth-year option that the Browns will need to decide on whether or not to pick up next offseason. He won’t completely fill the void left by Garrett, but verse has displayed a good knack for getting after the quarterback, generating 157 QB pressures and another 35 hits since entering the league, per PFF.

Shortly after Browns HC Todd Monken declined to comment on whether or not he expects Garrett to report to mandatory minicamp, we now have our answer. The 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and single-season sacks record holder is now taking his talents to Los Angeles to help Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford’s push for a second Lombardi Trophy. Speculation around a possible trade for Garrett began swirling earlier this offseason after the team re-worked the language in his contract to make him more feasible to trade, and now, after months of insisting Garrett would be a Brown for life, Cleveland has dealt him away. It goes without saying that Garrett will provide a major boost to a defense that finished 10th in points allowed last season and fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance, even if it does come at the cost of losing a young star in Verse. Garrett signed a four-year, $130 million extension with the Browns last offseason and remains under contract through 2030, putting him under the Rams’ control for the next four seasons. In addition to Verse and a 2027 first-round pick, the Rams also sent a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder to Cleveland. Browns GM Andrew Berry said shortly after the deal was announced that talks were ongoing and nothing was official yet, but this seems like a done deal despite Berry’s best poker face.

Monken said the only thing he was assured of when taking the job as the Browns’ head coach was what was written on his contract. That doesn’t seem great. Garrett has been the subject of offseason trade rumors after the Browns modified the language in his contract earlier this offseason, and has notably been a no-show at team activities thus far. Should he not report to mandatory minicamp next week, it would be the most obvious sign yet of a clearly disgruntled player who could be looking for a way out. Garrett signed a massive four-year, $130 million contract extension last offseason, but now, it’s possible the 30-year-old pass-rusher would like to have a chance winning something on the football field while still in the prime of his career. Garrett set an NFL record 23 sacks last season on his way to winning Defensive Player of the Year honors. If he were to become available, it’s safe to say there would be plenty of teams lining up for a chance at his services.

Stafford’s degenerative back issue cost him almost all of training camp last year, yet he “returned and cast those fears aside with the best season of his life.” The Rams have reportedly realized how well the time off served Stafford, as a “critical form of load management,” and plan to do some of that again this year. Per Atkins, this has been the plan for some time, and it explains why the Rams tried to sign veteran QBs like Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins, “and why they valued the backup role enough to help justify spending the No. 13 pick on QB Ty Simpson.” In other words, don’t be alarmed if we see Simpson taking a few first-team reps this summer. Stafford remains a locked-in QB1. However, we will, of course, track all of his notable offseason developments here at Rotoworld.

The Vikings have already conducted interviews with 10 candidates virtually. The five finalists are Rams assistant general manager John McKay, Broncos assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt, Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray, Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley and Vikings executive vice president of football operations and interim general manager Rob Brzezinski. Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf previously indicated that the team plans to employ the front office structure as they have in the past, though The Athletic’s Alec Lewis highlights a reader’s question about whether the Vikings might keep Brzezinski in a managerial role and also hire a “personnel guy” under him to help with roster decisions. If so, it seems plausible that some candidates might prefer to wait until they have a chance to run an organization their own way.

Stafford aggravated a disc injury between the offseason workout program and training camp last year. He did not practice until August 18th. Reports on the injury ran the gamut. At one point, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reported that the Rams “aren’t worried” about the injury, before later reporting that the back injury “is going to be a thing” all year. Ultimately, time spent in an Ammortal chamber outside the Rams’ facility helped Stafford get ready for an NFL MVP season. Injury risk is, of course, present. But Stafford remains one of the rare pocket passers capable of producing an elite QB1 season. Draft him accordingly.