Random Ramsdom: Various articles about various trade rumors involving LA

The picture for this aritcle probably gets used a lot, but it’s a great picture, and I think it fits the theme of today’s Random Ramdsom. Again, the Matthew Stafford trade rumors are going around, as are Cooper Kupp and some Aaron Donald trade rumors too.

Turfshowtimes has posted a couple articles discussing the Aaron Donald trade rumors and the Stafford rumors. Both articles are solid and I recommend them. There’s a million reasons these rumors could be going around and maybe if I make the time I’ll write about it. For now we can discuss in the comments below!

Check out our community question at the bottom, please comment on whatever you’d like and happy Monday!

Rams Feverishly Attempted to Trade Matthew Stafford, per Report (si.com)

“Such a move would’ve been surprising considering Stafford guided Los Angeles to victory in Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, but the Rams apparently wanted to avoid paying out $59 million in contract bonuses. Stafford signed a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason.

With all that in mind, former NFL executive Michael Lombardi said the Rams fervently tried to trade Stafford this offseason in an effort to get out from under his contract.

Lombardi made the revelation Friday on The Pat McAfee Show, explaining that the Rams tried “with a lot of effort” to trade Stafford early this offseason.

“When his option bonus was getting ready to kick in, they attempted, with a lot of effort, to trade him—any team could have had him. The problem was, you had to absorb the $59 million, and the Rams knew there was no way around the $59 million. They couldn’t get around it unless they traded him and somebody else took it,” Lombardi stated.

Stafford, 35, has spent two seasons with the Rams and helped lead the team to a 12-5 record and a Super Bowl victory during the 2021 season. He threw for 4,886 yards with 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in the ’21 regular season. Unfortunately, the ’22 season didn’t go as planned, with Stafford playing in just nine games due to injury and posting a 3-6 record during that span.”

NFL News: Los Angeles Rams Really Wanted Star Player Gone (Report) (wisportsheroics.com)

“The Los Angeles Rams reportedly wanted one of their star offensive players off the roster this offseason. The Rams took on big contracts in a bid to win a Super Bowl two seasons ago. And while the move paid off with one championship, the Rams are having to pay for it now.

The Rams had to shed several starters from the 2021-22 teams for cap reasons. According to Over The Cap, they have spent the lowest amount of money in free agency, keeping their spending under $10 million. The Rams have just over $10 million to spend before training camp starts.

Matthew Stafford’s contract is one of the reasons the Rams are strapped for cash. His arrival pushed the Rams over head coach Sean McVay’s Super Bowl hump. Now Stafford’s salary is pushing the boundary of the Rams’ salary cap and making it impossible to add the necessary talent to keep them competitive.

NFL News: Los Angeles Rams wanted Matthew Stafford gone

According to former Cleveland Browns general manager Michael Lombardi, the Rams were trying very hard to market Stafford before his bonus kicked in:

“When his option bonus was getting ready to kick in, they attempted with a lot of effort to trade him,” Lombardi said. “Any team could’ve had him. The problem was you had to absorb the $59 million.”

The Rams gave Stafford a four-year deal worth $160 million last offseason when the team was still celebrating their Super Bowl victory. One year later, they’re more sober on the former Pro Bowl quarterback. Stafford ended last season on injured reserve with a spinal cord contusion.”

‘Fireworks’ Trade Sees Lions Land WR Cooper Kupp (fannation/alllions)

“If Detroit general manager Brad Holmes wants to make a big splash, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine believes the Lions should facilitate a trade for L.A. Rams All-Pro wideout Cooper Kupp.

Ballentine labeled it as a hypothetical trade idea that would create “fireworks.”

And, it surely would, because it would transform Detroit’s receivers room into one of the best in the league. And, it would provide the Lions with a formidable one-two combo at receiver, with Kupp joining forces with Amon-Ra St. Brown.

St. Brown is coming off his first career 1,000-plus-yard receiving season. Meanwhile, Kupp is just two years removed from winning the NFL’s receiving triple crown – he led the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16) in 2021. He also recorded the second-most receptions (trailing just Michael Thomas’ 149 in 2018) and receiving yards (behind only Lions legend Calvin Johnson’s 1,964 in 2011) in a single season in NFL history.

In return for Kupp, Ballentine has the financially-strapped Rams receiving a 2024 first-round pick, a 2024 third-round pick (via the Vikings) and a 2025 third-round pick.

It’d be a large amount of draft capital for Holmes & Co. to part with. But, it’d likely be worth it for Detroit, which is looking to take the next step and become a playoff team in 2023.

As Ballentine writes, “The Detroit Lions could make their case for inclusion (among the NFC’s best teams) by acquiring one of the remaining superstars from the Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI.”

Aaron Donald Trade Rumors: Jaguars need to pursue All-Pro DT if made available (fansided)

“Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports recently shared five bold predictions for the 2023 season and one of them is that Los Angeles could trade Donald, noting that they already shipped Jalen Ramsey to the Dolphins and lost Bobby Wagner in free agency. Here’s the skinny on J-Mac’s prediction:

“I can see them being one of the worst teams in the league, and thus they decide to pull the trigger and trade Aaron Donald, basically their only good defender. Look at the PFF stats for this defense — it is abysmal. I know that they won the Super Bowl going with the big Stafford, Kupp, and Donald. But then everything fell apart. They lost Jalen Ramsey, their best cornerback, who basically shut down one side of the field. “

The Rams losing two of their three best defenders leads McIntyre to conclude that Donald could be next. For the sake of clarity though, there are no reports indicating the Pro Bowl defensive tackle wants to leave Los Angeles or that the Rams are looking to shop him. Still, this prediction hypothesis makes sense.

If the Rams will start over, it makes sense for general manager Les Snead to get as many future assets as possible. They got a third-round pick for Ramsey, and there’s a realistic chance they could fitch a first if they made Donald available.”

49ers want nothing more than Aaron Donald trade rumors to come true (ninernoise)

“Even in the wake of their blockbuster free-agent signing of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, the San Francisco 49ers still don’t have the best interior defender within the NFC West.

No, that distinction belongs to the Niners’ divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, who have made perennial All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald a cornerstone piece for the last nine years.

In the wake of the worst Super Bowl title defense in the modern football era, though, a rebuilding LA squad has already undergone plenty of notable changes, including trading away star cornerback Jalen Ramsey earlier this offseason.

Now, it appears as if Donald might potentially be the next star player in Southern California on the move.’

NFL rumor mill: Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre speculates Rams trade Aaron Donald

It’s one thing to hear a report. It’s another to speculate, even with reasonable data that would support the prediction.

The latter category is what Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre did, coming up with five bold predictions for the 2023 season, and one of them involved a would-be blockbuster trade for Donald.”

I picked out some articles looking at the different rumors and that directly ties into today’s question. Do you believe any of these trade rumors involving Stafford, Kupp or Donald? Please let us know what you think the comments below!1

Have a great day!