The Rams reached the NFC Championship Game last season, head into this season as the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl, and should draft another good player tonight, when they own the 13th pick in the first round, thanks to a forward-thinking trade with the Falcons last year.
A year ago, the Rams traded their own first- and third-round picks to the Falcons for Atlanta’s second- and seventh-round picks, plus their 2026 first-round pick. The Falcons badly wanted pass rusher James Pearce, and they were willing to give up their 2026 first-round pick to go up and get him.
Rams General Manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have earned the job security that makes it easy for them to think ahead when making trades. They didn’t need the instant gratification of adding a player in the first round in 2025, when they anticipated that with the Falcons’ first-round pick they’d have a chance to add an even better player in 2026.
While the Rams played the long game, Falcons GM Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris knew they were on the hot seat. Knowing their 2025 job status was “win now or get fired,” they didn’t have time to worry about their 2026 first-round pick. Sure enough, Fontenot and Morris were both fired at the end of last season. The new regime in Atlanta has to rebuild without a first-round pick, while Pearce is not currently with the team as he faces legal charges stemming from alleged abuse of his ex-girlfriend.
The Rams are in much better shape. They traded away their own first-round pick for cornerback Trent McDuffie, but the Falcons’ first-round pick means they still have the ammunition to bolster their roster tonight. Maybe they’ll add a good player with the 13th pick, or maybe Snead will trade it for more picks or another player, but either way, the Super Bowl favorites should get better tonight.
The long-term thinking the Rams showed during last year’s draft is one of the reasons they’ve been able to consistently stay near the top of a league that is structured to promote parity.
Rams Clips
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua showed up for the start of the team’s voluntary offseason program on Monday. Coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that he expects Nacua to fully participate in the entire offseason program.
Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern, announced earlier this month that Nacua had checked himself into a holistic care rehab facility. A Los Angeles woman filed a lawsuit against Nacua, accusing him of biting her and making antisemitic remarks during an incident on New Year’s Eve.
“He’ll be a full participant,” McVay said in his predraft news conference, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN. “Great to be able to see him. Looks great. He’s doing really well.”
McVay and Nacua have had conversations, but the coach said he would keep those private.
“He and I have a great relationship and feel really good about kind of the direction that we’re going,” McVay said.
The Rams know that they will have Matthew Stafford as their starting quarterback. They don’t yet know who they will have as their backup quarterback.
Stetson Bennett is the only other quarterback on the roster for now.
Jimmy Garoppolo, Stafford’s backup the past two seasons, is contemplating retirement.
Rams coach Sean McVay made clear Tuesday that the team hopes Garoppolo will return for another season.
“You leave the door open,” McVay said, via Vinny Bonsignore of the California Post. “You don’t want to press. We want to be able to give him his time, and he knows where we stand.”
Garoppolo, 34, was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2014. After a trade to the 49ers in 2017, he became the team’s starter and stayed in San Francisco until 2022.
He was with the Raiders in 2023.
Now, Garoppolo is contemplating a 13th season.
A report emerged on Monday that the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford had made significant progress on a contract extension.
Stafford, 38, is currently slated to make $48.266 million in 2026 after winning his first MVP award in 2025. He reported for the start of the club’s offseason program on Monday.
In Los Angeles’ pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, General Manager Les Snead noted the club doesn’t feel there’s anything to worry about with Stafford’s situation.
“Progress has been made,” Snead said, via Nate Atkins of TheAthletic.com. “No timeline per se, but don’t expect any drama.”
That Stafford reported for the start of the offseason program is a sign that there is no acrimony between the two sides. It seems that Stafford and the Rams will reach a new deal sooner than later.
The Rams have made “significant progress” on an extension for quarterback Matthew Stafford, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
The 2025 NFL MVP has a contract that runs through 2026, and coach Sean McVay said last month that Stafford has “earned the right to be on a year-to-year basis.” McVay added that the Rams were willing to extend Stafford’s deal if that’s what he desired.
Stafford, 38, is scheduled to make $48.266 million this season.
He is coming off the best year of his career, when he led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. It led to his first MVP award and first-team All-Pro honor, likely sealing his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Stafford signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Rams in March 2022, which included $135 million in guaranteed money. The Rams adjusted that deal in 2024 to increase his cash for that season by $5 million while boosting his 2025 roster bonus.
The sides reworked the contract again a year ago after the Rams allowed Stafford to speak with other teams about a trade.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua is with the Rams for the first day of their offseason program.
Nacua’s attorney Levi McCathern announced earlier this month that Nacua had checked himself into a holistic care rehab facility. McCathern added that Nacua was expected to complete the program in time to take part in the Rams’ organized team activities, which get underway on May 26.
Word of Nacua’s decision came after he was accused of biting a woman and making antisemitic remarks during an incident on New Year’s Eve. He has been sued in relation to that incident, although his attorney said the decision to enter rehab came before that suit was filed.
Nacua has not spoken publicly about those events or his time in the rehab facility, but he could have an opportunity to do so at some point during the offseason program.
Earlier this month, free-agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was reportedly “weighing a few options.”
One of those options includes not playing for anyone.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Garoppolo is considering retirement.
Garoppolo, 34, was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2014. Traded to the 49ers, Garoppolo became the starter immediately. He signed after his first season a contract that made him, at the time, the highest-paid player in the NFL.
After the 2022 season, Garoppolo signed with the Raiders as a free agent. He then went to the Rams for 2024 and 2025.
The Cardinals had been linked to Garoppolo in free agency. A snag during contract talks resulted in the Cardinals signing Gardner Minshew.
The Rams, who have only Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett on the roster, continue to be interested in Garoppolo.
For now, Garoppolo has to decide whether he’s interested in playing for what would be a 13th NFL season.
The World Cup is coming soon. And it’s quickly becoming a pain in the posterior for the 13 teams playing in stadiums that will be commandeered for intercontinental soccer.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal recently reviewed some of the practical impacts of FIFA bigfooting the various venues where fútbol will be played. This week, for example, the Jets and Giants will move their annual draft parties away from MetLife Stadium to Manhattan.
In all, 13 teams are impacted by the World Cup: the Cowboys, Jets, Giants, Falcons, Chiefs, Texans, 49ers, Chargers, Rams, Eagles, Seahawks, Patriots, and Dolphins.
For the teams that have employees at the stadiums hosting World Cup games, many will be moved. Those who are staying put will be subject to FIFA credentialing to get into their workplaces. And the Giants will start training camp in West Virginia, since MetLife Stadium will be hosting the final match on July 19 on a grass field that will need to be removed and replaced with one of the worst artificial surfaces in the entire league.
That last part still has to be the most galling for NFL players. Owners with stadiums that don’t have grass have bent over backwards to do whatever had to be done to placate FIFA. Their regular employees, however, will still be stuck with a lesser (and far cheaper) playing surface.
The various sacrifices involuntarily made by the players and other team employees should prompt FIFA to give them all a phony, made-up award. Especially since FIFA has already done that, for far less.
The NFL has announced the names of the current and former players that will take part in next week’s draft by announcing second-round picks.
The list includes players associated with all 32 teams, including Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area after playing for the Steelers and attending Pitt, which likely made him an easy choice as the Cardinals’ representative.
Former Bears tackle Jimbo Covert, former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, former Chiefs defensive lineman Bill Maas, current Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill, former Jets running back Curtis Martin, and former 49ers punter Andy Lee are other Pitt alums who are set to take part.
The hometown team will be represented by four players. Former Steelers Jerome Bettis and John Stallworth will be joined by Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. next Friday.
The other players taking part and their team affiliations appear below:
Falcons: Michael Turner
Ravens: Mark Ingram
Bills: Shane Conlan
Panthers: Jake Delhomme
Bengals: Ken Anderson
Browns: Phil Dawson
Cowboys: Drew Pearson
Broncos: T.J. Ward
Lions: Calvin Johnson
Packers: John Kuhn
Texans: Billy Miller
Colts: Pat McAfee
Jaguars: Paul Posluszny
Raiders: Matt Millen
Chargers: Shawne Merriman
Rams: Tavon Austin
Dolphins: Dwight Stephenson
Patriots: Deion Branch
Saints: Marques Colston
Giants: Osi Umenyiora
Eagles: Brian Westbrook
Seahawks: Cliff Avril
Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Commanders: Mark Rypien
The Rams have made some changes to their uniforms, but the changes are more a minor tweak than a full redesign.
Images unveiled by the Rams today show the 2026 uniforms will look much like the 2025 uniforms, with some subtle changes.
The Rams chest tag has been removed, as have gradient numbers and pant stripes.
White pants are now considered one of the team’s primary color choices, although they will still wear other two other pant colors as well.
The horn sleeve has been added to the primary home and away uniforms.
The “bone” uniform has been removed from the uniform rotation.
The helmet remains unchanged except for new “3D bumper logos.”
The team describes the Ram head logo as “enhanced to appear bolder and tougher for a fiercer expression, and the horn features a sharper, more defined point.”
