With 1:13 remaining in the first half of the NFC Championship Game, Rams coach Sean McVay called a pass, which fell incomplete, stopping the clock. The next play was another incomplete pass. That forced the Rams to punt with 1:03 left, giving the Seahawks plenty of time and timeouts to march down the field for a touchdown before halftime.
McVay still regrets that.
McVay called his clock management at that point in the game a “major mistake” in his appearance on PFT Live this week. When he looks back on the 2025 season, he doesn’t worry about things he couldn’t control, but it does still irk him that he could have called better plays in that situation than he called.
“I try not to dwell on stuff that really doesn’t move me forward,” McVay said. “Now, what I do dwell on is that NFC Championship Game. One thing you don’t do in a two-minute situation, don’t put the defense back out on the field. We run it on a first-and-10, and then you know what? Should have run it again. They got three timeouts, we end up throwing it, it goes incomplete, then we go incomplete on third down, give them three downs, they go score a touchdown. Changes the momentum of that going into the half. So, what I do evaluate are some of those after-action reviews on situationally.”
McVay said there were other decisions he made that drew criticism, like a failed fourth down in the fourth quarter, that he stands by. But he could have handled clock management better.
“What I would do differently is handle the end of the first half differently,” McVay said. “Handle some things differently game management-wise.”
Rams Clips
Rams General Manager Les Snead says he was interested in trading for Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.
“We chatted with Philly, nothing worked out,” Snead said on PFT Live. “There were talks, we had discussions, didn’t work out. That happens.”
Snead did not say why the trade didn’t work out, but the Rams have confirmed that they also discussed trading Davante Adams away if they had acquired Brown. Snead said he and head coach Sean McVay both believe in being upfront with players if there’s a chance they could be traded, so they told Adams it was possible.
“As soon as any of those discussions take a certain level, we should definitely make that phone call,” Snead said. “I think all players appreciate the transparency.”
The Eagles potentially trading Brown has been one of the most-discussed stories of this NFL offseason. It hasn’t happened yet, but Snead confirmed it’s not just a much-discussed story among fans and the media. Those discussions are happening in NFL front offices as well.
Consider 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan unenthused about starting the 2026 season in Australia.
Speaking to reporters at the annual league meeting on Monday morning, Shanahan delivered a response characterized as sarcastic when asked about the team’s international schedule for 2026, which will see the club begin the year in Melbourne as an away team while also going to Mexico City later in the year as a home team.
“I was so fired up. That was our goal, to go 19 hours away to play a game,” Shanahan said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I think we’re going back in time or into the future. I think we gain a day or lose a day — I’m not sure which one yet.
“But it is what it is. We’ll deal with it. I think there’s eight international games. We got two of them, so I’m fired up about that.”
Shanahan added he doesn’t see any positives to playing the first regular-season NFL game in Australia.
“No, not at all,” Shanahan said. “I don’t see any pro. I mean, it’s cool for the league to play globally. I think it’s awesome, but as far as the team doing it, there’s not much benefit to it.
“Sometimes it’s nice to get a bye week after, but it doesn’t happen for Week 1.
Shanahan noted teams don’t get much of a say in the international slate.
“No, they tell you, you deal with it,” he said.
The 49ers’ matchup in Mexico City is expected to land much later in the season, potentially in December.
Matthew Stafford arguably had the best season of his career in 2025, winning his first MVP award en route to leading the Rams to the NFC Championship Game.
But while Stafford is returning for 2026, at some point, Los Angeles will have to face the reality that sooner or later, the quarterback’s playing career will come to an end.
Is that something the team is actively thinking about, or is it an issue the club will face when it comes?
“I don’t think about that, ever,” McVay joked when asked just that at the annual league meeting on Monday morning. “No, you think about it short- and long-term. And here’s the thing, he’s earned the right to be on a year-to-year basis. If he told me that he wanted to play a couple more years, I’d believe him. If he told me it’s one more year — but he’s earned that right. So, we understand that.
“I do think he’s in a situation where it wouldn’t shock me if he played more than one year. But we also have to be prepared, that if this is the last year, what does that look like?”
McVay mentioned wanting to have Jimmy Garoppolo back on the club, and if it’s not Garoppolo, potentially pivoting to fellow free agent Kirk Cousins. But neither Garoppolo, 34, nor Cousins, 37, appears to be a long-term solution. While Stetson Bennett is on the roster, headed into the last year of his rookie deal, he has yet to play in a regular-season game.
So at least for now, any long-term successor at QB would have to come from an external source.
As for the present, while Stafford and the Rams went through a prolonged discussion about his contract last year — with the quarterback being allowed to meet with other teams before ultimately returning to L.A. — things have been a lot more effortless on that front in 2026.
“We’ve had a lot of good discussions and dialogue,” McVay said. “And you know what, it’s really along the lines of, what do you and Kelly [Stafford, Matthew’s wife] really want? Does that look like, hey, are we going to keep that kind of year in place? Do we do anything additional? Or do we put two years in place? So, he’s working through that.
“But it’s been a lot smoother than last year, to say the least.”
Stafford, who turned 38 in February, led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns in 2025, winning his first MVP award. He was also an AP first-team All-Pro for the first time.
Earlier this month, most Rams fans reacted with delight to the news that their favorite team would possibly be trading for Eagles receiver A.J. Brown. They also reacted with disbelief (to put it mildly) that the Rams would have then traded receiver Davante Adams.
On Monday, Rams coach Sean McVay confirmed to reporters that a possible Adams trade was on the table.
“I’ve talked with Davante about that, and if we felt like it was best for our team, we would’ve done that,” McVay said.
Acquiring Brown would have definitely made trading Adams “best for our team.”
The Rams ultimately didn’t trade for Brown because, as we’ve heard, something in the medical records caused them to tap out. That made it unnecessary to trade Adams.
With Puka Nacua in line for an extension (the market has moved to $42.15 million per year, thanks to the new Jaxon Smith-Njigba deal), the Rams wouldn’t have paid him and Brown ($29 million for 2026) and Adams ($24 million for 2026).
The matter was settled before Adams earned a $6 million roster bonus on March 15. But McVay has now made it clear that Adams was on notice of the possibility that, despite leading the league in touchdown receptions in 2025, he would have been elsewhere again in 2026.
Earlier this month, PFT reported that as the Rams were exploring trading for receiver A.J. Brown, the club also had conversations about dealing fellow receiver Davante Adams.
At the annual league meeting on Monday, head coach Sean McVay confirmed that was true. But he also noted that the team ultimately decided keeping Adams was in the club’s best interest.
“We have discussions all the time. I wouldn’t say discussed — we really talked about some different avenues of onboarding other players and how it might affect Davante,” McVay said. “I’ve talked with Davante about that, and if we felt like it was best for our team, we would’ve done that. But we didn’t think it was best for our team. So, excited about being able to move forward with him.
“I think one of the things that there’s a lot of narratives that are out there. What I do think is important is that we address the things that our players could potentially be affected with. And so, I believe in dealing with those things directly. He’s a grown man and he’s a great player. And so, at the end of the day, there’s a lot of different things that go on. We’re always looking at ways to upgrade our roster and feel like we can be as competitive as possible. There’s discussions, there’s dialogue — it never got to that. There’s scenarios that could’ve come up that we absolutely could have, and if we felt like it was best for our team, then it would’ve happened. But we didn’t.”
If you’re going to have a conversation like that with a player like Adams, how does that go?
“Just straightforward. I said, ‘Hey, I’m not on social media, but if it’s been brought to my attention that there’s narratives out there, that there’s a possibility that you could’ve been traded, certainly I would imagine it’s come across your desk. Want to be able to give some truth to what the context was,’” McVay said. “And I don’t want to get too specific from what my conversation was with him. But, I addressed what those conversations were, even though they never really got too far. But I did want to acknowledge it, and then be able to tell him, the cool thing is, when you let the tape guide your decision-making and some of the other factors, the best thing is, I love him. But what I also have a responsibility to do is [make] decisions that are best for our football team. And the best part is, you get to have another year with a guy you really love as a human, and then it’s also what you also think is best for the football team.
“So, just wanted to address that because I just think about it, like if I was in that situation — and there’s a lot of stuff that’s out there that’s not accurate. But when there is at least some accuracy or some thought to it, you want to deal with that direct, honest, and open. And there’s been some instances where I wasn’t as good about that in previous years. And so I don’t want to make those same mistakes. And he’s a grown man, and I think he understood that this is a part of this business. But I think what he also understood is, at the end of the day, you’re a Ram because this is what’s best. And I’m excited to move forward with him.”
Adams led the league with 14 touchdown receptions last year, despite playing just 14 regular-season games. He finished 2025 with 60 catches for 789 yards before making 11 receptions for 185 yards with a TD in three postseason contests.
As a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, receiver Puka Nacua is in line for a significant and lucrative contract extension from the Rams this offseason.
But the talented receiver has also been making the kinds of headlines the organization surely does not prefer over the last few months.
At the annual league meeting on Monday, Rams head coach Sean McVay said that the team has been aware of Nacua’s situation since the incident happened on New Year’s Eve. While the club is continuing to let the process play out, McVay again expressed his confidence in Nacua as a player and a person.
“You guys know, I trust this kid’s heart,” McVay said. “Love him, put your arm around him, want to continue to help him grow. And, really, get all the appropriate facts before I rush to judgment on that particular situation. But I will say, knowing this guy for three years, is I do trust his heart. I trust the human being. And I want to be able to put my arm around him.”
Even so, is there concern within the organization about Nacua, given that the club is likely about to pay him a lot of money?
McVay said the team has had “conversations” surrounding that.
“Puka would be the first to tell you, he and I have a close relationship. We communicate clear, open, and honest,” McVay said. “The play on the field is amazing, and with what the play has dictated and determined, there’s a responsibility in terms of representing all things — not exclusive to just that. He knows that. Those are the expectations. And we’re hopeful that will be something that, this is an opportunity for him to learn and grow, and we are hopeful that he’s a Ram for a really long time.
“But he understands what the responsibility is, not exclusive to just the production on the field.”
While McVay acknowledged that a lot was thrown at Nacua quickly when it comes to being a pro, the head coach added, “I also think he’s built to be able to handle it.”
“I think that in a lot of instances, when you have the right heart, when you have people like his mom, his brothers, his coaches, his teammates — you’ve got a lot of people who love him and want to be able to help him continue to grow,” McVay said. “And, shoot, I had the same thing. I think about a lot of instances, even in this role, you’re growing up in the midst of it, becoming a man. And that’s exactly what we’re witnessing with him. And I want to help him become the best human being he can possibly be, because I do believe better people make better Rams. And I trust this kid’s heart, like I said.”
Whether or not Nacua continues to earn that trust is to be determined. But, as McVay said, Nacua’s performance means that he’s earned a raise. Despite playing 16 games in 2025, he led the NFL with 129 receptions. His catches also led to a league-leading 80 first downs, and he was No. 1 with 107.2 receiving yards per game, finishing with 1,715 yards with 10 TDs.
Nacua is headed into the last year of his four-year rookie contract, and is currently set to make $5.77 million in base salary. In his first three seasons, Nacua has caught 313 passes for 4,191 yards with 19 touchdowns in 44 career games.
Sean McVay and Kirk Cousins worked together in Washington 10 years ago and McVay wouldn’t mind it if things work out for the two of them to work together again in Los Angeles.
The Rams currently have Stetson Bennett as their only quarterback behind Matthew Stafford and McVay said on PFT Live from the league meeting in Arizona on Monday that the team will be adding another player to the mix. Jimmy Garoppolo has filled that role for the last two seasons and remains available after talks with the Cardinals fell apart without a deal coming together.
McVay said on Monday that Garoppolo is “working through his process right now” and that the team would like to have him back in the No. 2 role. He also recalled his time working with Cousins when he was the offensive coordinator in Washington while saying that the veteran is also an appealing option for the backup job.
“People make some of the connections with Kirk,” McVay said. “If it doesn’t work out with Jimmy, that’s definitely something that — Kirk is as influential as anybody in helping me get to L.A. in the first place. I know he’s got some other options and some other suitors, but Jimmy and Kirk are guys that I’d love to have back with us.”
The Rams could strike a deal with either quarterback at any time and McVay didn’t give any indication about how quickly things might play out for the Rams.
The Rams’ offseason got a jolt at the start when quarterback Matthew Stafford announced he’d return for the 2026 season while accepting the MVP award for 2025 and his decision meant the team’s window for winning a championship remains open.
A move to open it even wider came earlier this month when the Rams sent four draft picks, including their 2026 first-round selection, to the Chiefs for cornerback Trent McDuffie. It’s reminiscent of the kind of all-in moves the Rams made before winning Super Bowl LVI and Rams head coach Sean McVay told Steve Wyche of NFL Media why the cornerback fit the team’s current situation.
“He’s got the ability to play field, boundary, star, he can play the dime spot if you wanted him to,” McVay said. “What he does do is he allows us to be able to move the hard downs around, be able to change the math in our favor. The more I get to know him, every time I talk to him I just leave that conversation feeling better about myself just because of the way that he is, and I’m excited to be able to work with him.”
McDuffie is headed into his fifth season, so he could impact the Rams beyond when Stafford remains on the roster but it seems clear that maximizing the team’s chances of winning now was the main argument for making the deal with Kansas City.
The Rams have hired Phil Savage as a personnel department consultant, Aaron Wilson of KPRC reports.
Savage was the interim General Manager for the Jets in 2024 after they fired Joe Douglas.
Savage, 60, got his NFL start as a Browns scout in 1993. He also worked for the Ravens and the Eagles before becoming director of the Senior Bowl, a job he held from 2012-18.
He was General Manager of the AAF’s Arizona Hotshots in 2019 before joining the Jets’ front office.
With the Rams, Savage will work with assistant G.M. John McKay in the player personnel department.
