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Per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Los Angeles Rams are interested in LB Clay Matthews as free agency continues to develop:
The #Rams are a prime landing spot for veterans, especially those who live in California. They have interest in Clay Matthews... as do a host of others. pic.twitter.com/sDl6gD0CKK
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2019
As far as the teams of interest, I would keep an eye on the Rams. From what I know, [Rams Defensive Coordinator] Wade Phillips is a big fan of Clay Matthews and really always has been. And one thing that the Rams have excelled at and should continue to excel at is the ability to get really good veterans on short-term deals to come in and have the chance to win a Super Bowl.
Look, a lot of people live in LA. Clay Matthews actually does live in the LA area. A lot of people want to be on the West Coast. The Rams have become a potential landing spot for some of these veterans to play however many more years they want to play and have a chance.
That’s certainly something to keep an eye on here.
Three things.
1.) I’m not sure Clay Matthews qualifies as a “really good veteran.” He’s a veteran. He used to be really good. Is he a really good veteran?
2.) There is a bit of misleading here on the nature of LA being the attracting factor for free agents. It’s not that Los Angeles as a destination isn’t alluring. Of course it is. And yes, there are professional factors at work that have drawn in players like Ndamukong Suh in the NFL and LeBron James in the NBA recently as Suh himself recently explained. But not all athletes are either capable or interested in exploring that added value of Los Angeles. And the idea of playing for the Rams just because it’s nice to live in LA...Matthews lives in LA already. And that’s the point. Perhaps the team that has improved the most this offseason is the Cleveland Browns. Anyone going to talk about how players are just dying to move to Cleveland, Ohio?
3.) A lot of people do live in LA.
We’ll see if this rumor has legs to it or is more just about a veteran that is highly respected by the Rams’ brass that has affectations himself for the state of the franchise. Those were certainly the circumstances around signing S Eric Weddle, but Matthews certainly looks to have dropped off faster and deeper than Weddle has to this point.