Random Ramsdom: Cooper Kupp tweets about Bobby Wagner’s return to Seattle

Cooper Kupp Laments Rams’ Loss of Bobby Wagner in Hilarious Tweet (fannation/si)

“On March 31, 2022, Kupp tweeted, “Let’s go!! Don’t have to play against Bobby Wagner anymore!!!!” when the star linebacker left the Seahawks for the Rams.

But now, Wagner is leaving Los Angeles, heading back to Seattle and staying in the NFC West, much to Kupp’s dismay. After all, nobody wants to see a nine-time All-Pro charging at them with bad intentions on a Sunday afternoon.

But Kupp had some fun at his own expense, simply quote-tweeting his old post with “WELP!” and a laughing emoji to boot.

Wagner spent just one year with the Rams, while the team was expected to compete for another Super Bowl in 2022, but they fell horrifically short. Los Angeles finished with a 5–12 record, and now it loses Wagner.

He tallied 124 tackles, six sacks and two interceptions in his 17 games away from the Seahawks. He reportedly has agreed to a one-year deal worth $7 million to return to Seattle, and now Kupp again finds himself opposite one of the last players you want to see heading your way.”

Bobby Wagner, Seahawks Reportedly Agree to 1-Year, $7M Contract After Rams Release (bleacherreport)

“The 32-year-old spent the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams after signing a five-year, $50 million deal last offseason, but both sides mutually agreed to part ways in February after just one year together. He had spent the first 10 years of his career with the Seahawks.

The Rams saved $5 million in salary-cap space but also incurred a dead-money charge of $7.5 million.

In his lone season in Los Angeles, Wagner did not skip a beat, recording 140 total tackles, a career-high six sacks, two interceptions and five passes defended while starting all 17 games. He was named second-team All-Pro for his stellar campaign, the ninth time in his 11-year career that he’s made an All-Pro team.

The Utah State product established himself as one of the best defensive players in the NFL during his time with the Seahawks.

He was a face of the franchise before his departure last year, setting the all-time record for tackles with 1,383. He felt slighted by the way the team handled his release, though, and proved he could still perform at a high level in his new surroundings. Apparently, he was willing to mend fences.

By adding Wagner, Seattle is getting a tackling machine who will quickly become a locker room leader on defense once again.”

LA Rams can still get a Super Bowl-winning bargain in NFL free agency (ramblinfan)

“The LA Rams have kept quiet so far in the 2023 NFL free agency market, but there’s still time to find a Super Bowl-winning bargain on the market. Free agent running back Jerick McKinnon would be a terrific addition to an LA Rams backfield needing a refresh and an offensive scheme lacking variety last season. Best of all, he should be available for a team-friendly price. He earned less than $1.2 million in 2022, and should be available at or for less than that this season.

McKinnon helped the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, but the veteran running back hasn’t been brought back yet. The 30-year-old’s availability is something Rams’ head coach Sean McVay can’t ignore because McKinnon is a useful runner, willing blocker and a terrific receiver.

Those traits can expand what McVay does with his offense. Running the football has been an afterthought in recent years, but Cam Akers is still on the roster as the likely workhorse for 2023, provided he can get along. Akers can execute McVay’s familiar outside zone-stretch runs with power, but McKinnon has some one-cut-and-go pop of his own.

Veteran experience at rookie cost

The nine-year pro has averaged 4.1 yards per carry during his career. He spent two NFL seasons, 2018 and 2019, trying to recover from a very serious knee injury and earn a spot on an NFL roster. But McKinnon still has some speed and proved that he can be useful at the goal line. This is despite his relatively slight 5-foot-9, 209-pound frame, but his value goes beyond being a runner.

Specifically, the Rams are lacking versatility in the backfield. It’s a quality McKinnon can add, mostly thanks to his chops as a pass-catcher. The Chiefs were never shy about using McKinnon’s talent as a receiver, like for this touchdown against the Houston Texans from Week 15:”

LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford joins Angel City investment team (espn)

“Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on Friday joined the ever-expanding group of Angel City FC’s star-studded investment team as the NWSL club gets ready to kick off its second season Sunday against Gotham FC.

Stafford, his wife, Kelly and their daughters join a large group of Angel City investors from the sports and entertainment worlds, including former NFL center Ryan Kalil, actress and activist Gabrielle Union, WNBA legend Candace Parker and founding investors Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams.

“We fell in love with attending an Angel City game last season and wanted our daughters to experience something so important and powerful first-hand,” Matthew and Kelly Stafford said in a news release.

Other Angel City investors from the sports industry include Billie Jean King and Illana Kloss, Cobi Jones, Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Lindsey Vonn, PK Subban, and Shawn Johnson East.

While Angel City has arguably the most star-studded ownership, the list of celebrities investing in soccer clubs continues to grow, including David Beckham (Inter Miami CF), Patrick Mahomes (Sporting KC), Kevin Durant (Philadelphia Union) and LeBron James (Liverpool), Elton John (formerly the chairman of Watford) Christina Aguilera and Natalie Portman (Angel City FC), Ryan Reynolds (Wrexham) and Will Ferrell (LAFC).”

NFC West Coaching Updates: Rams, Kubiak, Cardinals (profootballrumors)

“The Rams announced that they’ve finalized their coaching staff for the 2023 season earlier this month, according to Rams staff writer Stu Jackson. We covered a number of the changes from 2022 already, but below are the ones we have yet to cover.

With the departure of Thomas Brown, who will be calling plays for the Panthers in 2023, head coach Sean McVay had an opening for a new assistant head coach. We heard last month that the team added Jimmy Lake to the staff, but we didn’t have details on his role. It turns out that he will be replacing Brown as the Rams assistant head coach.

On offense, the biggest change we have yet to cover is the addition of Ron Gould as the team’s new running backs coach. After allowing Ra’Shaad Samples to depart for a college position, the Rams went and poached Gould away from San Diego State a month after Gould was named the associate head coach and running backs coach for the Aztecs. He spent the last six years coaching running backs at Stanford. Additionally, two assistants received promotions this offseason. Jake Peetz, who was an offensive assistant last year has been given the new title of pass game specialist. Kenneth Black, last year’s coaching fellow in Los Angeles, will fill Peetz’s previous role of offensive assistant.”