Rams Hire Phil Savage As Consultant

The Browns were not the only team to add a former GM before the draft. As Cleveland brought in Tom Telesco and Trent Baalke to help with its two-first-rounder itinerary, Sportsboom.com’s Jason La Canfora notes the Rams added Phil Savage to their personnel department.

Savage, the former Browns GM and Jets interim front office boss, joined the Rams in late March. This hire came after the team traded the No. 29 overall pick to the Chiefs for Trent McDuffie.

[RELATED: Grade Rams’ Ty Simpson Draft Decision]

An Alabama native who spent six-plus years as the executive director of the Senior Bowl, Savage worked under Joe Douglas with the Jets from 2019-24. The team hired the veteran exec as a senior personnel advisor in 2019 and kept him on to steer the ship in the final weeks of 2024, with Douglas fired during that season. Savage, 61, also remained with the team as a consultant in 2025.

Savage working with the Jets’ new regime may have been beneficial for the Rams, with at least one NFL exec connecting the dots (via La Canfora) ahead of the NFC West team surprisingly choosing Ty Simpson 13th overall last month. Savage having knowledge of the Jets’ inner workings certainly did not hurt as the Rams determined who their top competition would be, and the Alabama native’s extensive time in Mobile with the Senior Bowl and with the Crimson Tide as a broadcaster for a while may have helped push the Simpson-L.A. connection past the goal line.

Moreover, an exec informed La Canfora that Savage was high on Simpson during the pre-draft process. The Rams were loosely connected to the one-year Alabama starter, with a report indicating the team liked the quarterback but not at No. 13. The team’s McDuffie trade was viewed as one likely to send Simpson elsewhere — perhaps to Arizona or New York — but the QB revealed post-draft he met in secret with Sean McVay at points. The Rams do not hold “30” visits, making it harder to gauge their interest level in certain prospects.

The Rams viewed the Cardinals as a threat to take Simpson, believing their NFC West rivals held heavy interest. Hence, the team’s decision not to risk losing Simpson by trading down from 13. Les Snead helped Simpson determine if he would enter the draft or stay in school, with a $6.5MM NIL deal from Miami — which wanted him to replace Carson Beck in 2026 — being extended. Snead, who had known Simpson’s father from their SEC playing days, had been in on the QB since the fall.

Savage debuted in the NFL as a Bill Belichick assistant in Cleveland back in 1991, later teaming with Alabama icon Ozzie Newsome in the Ravens’ front office. His various Alabama ties may well have contributed to the Rams determining this was the correct window to acquire their Matthew Stafford heir apparent.