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Los Angeles Rams News & Rumors

Rams Have Discussed Extension With Von Miller’s Camp

November 2nd, 2021 at 11:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller is due to be a first-time free agent in March and may be headed for a third NFL team at that point. But the Rams, who traded for the 11th-year pass rusher Monday, figure to factor into that equation. They have already broached the topic of Miller being in Los Angeles beyond this season.

GM Les Snead said Tuesday he has spoken with Miller’s representatives about an extension, via ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry. The Broncos are paying $9MM of the $9.7MM remaining on Miller’s current contract, but the Rams surrendered second- and third-round picks in the 2022 draft — a price well north of where anyone else was willing to go. That points to the team viewing Miller as more than a rental.

“We’re actually looking at this from a standpoint of how soon can he help us, can he help us if we’re fortunate enough to continue going and make the 2021 tournament, how can he help us there,” Snead said. “And then there’s a long-term vision for Von as well.”

Los Angeles has Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd signed, respectively, to $22.5MM- and $16MM-AAV contracts. Although many changes will take place, the Rams are projected to again be near the bottom in cap space. Cap constraints, however, have not exactly deterred them from making impact moves previously during the Snead regime. The team also has the matter of what will likely be a monster Matthew Stafford extension; the MVP candidate’s Lions-constructed deal runs through 2022. A Stafford deal could free up some money, though the prospect of Miller staying in L.A. for his age-33 season and beyond will largely hinge on his performance down the stretch.

Miller’s 110.5 sacks are the most among active players, and the future Hall of Famer sits at 4.5 this season. The Broncos engaged the Rams on the prospect of a Miller trade, Snead said, and the negotiations took place shortly after the teams agreed on a lower-profile deal that sent linebacker Kenny Young to Denver.

“[Broncos GM] George [Paton] reached out at the end of the week and we just couldn’t take on, based on what we’ve done in the past with our cap situation, just can’t take on Von Miller, so that’s when we discussed what it would take from each side,” Snead said of the trade talks. “I think as they were analyzing their situation, we were analyzing ours and we came up with what we felt like was something that was good for the Rams and the Broncos.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/2/21

November 2nd, 2021 at 8:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Football Team

Broncos GM: Two Other Teams Called On Von Miller

November 2nd, 2021 at 6:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos’ post-Peyton Manning decline led to Von Miller landing in trade rumors ahead of recent trade deadlines, and first-year GM George Paton pulled the trigger this year by sending the future Hall of Fame edge rusher to the Rams on Monday. Other teams showed interest, but the Rams won out.

Two other teams called the Broncos on Miller, Paton said Tuesday (via The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones, on Twitter). However, the Rams are believed to have made by far the best offer. The other interested franchises did not offer the Broncos anything of substance for Miller, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. This essentially put Paton to a decision on keeping the decorated sack artist for the stretch run and considering another extension or taking Los Angeles’ offer of two 2022 Day 2 picks — which came after the Broncos agreed to pay most of Miller’s prorated base salary.

Trade discussions began in earnest Friday and wrapped up Sunday night, Paton said (via The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, on Twitter). Miller met with Paton, John Elway and CEO Joe Ellis on Monday morning. Paton said he wanted to “do right by” Miller, the Broncos’ all-time sack leader and by far the team’s longest-tenured player.

The eight-time Pro Bowler will now join Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd on the Rams’ front seven and catch on with a 7-1 team. Miller missed the Broncos’ Week 8 game against Washington, which featured the team’s second-string edge rushers faring well, but is not believed to have suffered a serious injury in Denver’s Week 7 loss in Cleveland.

Miller, 32, is in the final months of the six-year, $114.1MM extension he signed with the Broncos at the 2016 franchise tag deadline. The Rams will have exclusive negotiating rights with Miller ahead of free agency, but they already have Donald and Floyd signed to big-ticket contracts. Being cuffed via the fifth-year option in 2015 and franchise-tagged in ’16, Miller has never been a free agent. His upcoming Rams performance will go a long way in shaping his 2022 market. Miller has 4.5 sacks this season, though none have come since Week 4.

After acquiring Miller and Matthew Stafford, the Rams now are without first- and second-round picks in 2022. While the Rams dealt the Broncos a third as well, the Lions hiring previous Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes as GM brought Los Angeles back an additional third-rounder in next year’s draft.

As for the Broncos, the 4-4 team is still without Bradley Chubb. Miller and Chubb each ran into significant injuries during their three-plus seasons together, and the duo last finished a game together in September 2019. Paton hopes Chubb can return after Denver’s Week 11 bye, NFL.com’s James Palmer adds (on Twitter). Chubb, who missed most of the 2019 season with an ACL tear, has undergone two ankle surgeries this year. Denver, which has lost both starting inside linebackers for the season, used Malik Reed and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper as outside linebacker starters in Week 8. Recent trade acquisition Stephen Weatherly collected a sack in rotational duty.

Rams To Cut WR DeSean Jackson

November 2nd, 2021 at 3:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams will release DeSean Jackson this week (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This was the expected move after the Rams were unable to find a trade for the veteran wide receiver. As a post-deadline drop, Jackson will be subject to the waiver wire for 24 hours after his release. If no one claims him, he’ll be free to sign with any club.

While Jackson drew interest on the market, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore (on Twitter), teams were anticipating a release and did not want to surrender any assets. That is somewhat interesting given Jackson’s post-deadline departure, which will not allow him to control his destination — at least, not initially.

Jackson joined the Rams on a one-year, $4.5MM deal this year with the expectation that he’d be a focal point of the offense. Instead, he’s only been on the field for about one-third of L.A.’s snaps. That didn’t sit well with Jackson, who requested a change of scenery earlier this month.

If DJax goes unclaimed, the Rams will be left with the balance of Jackson’s $2.75MM base salary on the books. Either way, they’ll be without one of the game’s most prolific deep threats. Even at the age of 34, Jackson has torched the opposition for 27.6 yards per catch. Granted, the sample size is limited with just eight receptions, but there’s no question that DJax still has top-end speed.

Jackson has yet to top 25 snaps in any of his games this year. His playtime only dwindled from there, with four snaps against the Lions in Week 7. After that, the Rams held him out of action against the Texans to avoid a trade-scuttling injury.

For his career, Jackson has 620 catches for 10,877 yards and 57 touchdowns. Now, after parting ways with his fourth pro team, he’ll look to add to those totals elsewhere.

Latest On Rams WR DeSean Jackson

November 1st, 2021 at 8:27pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like DeSean Jackson‘s stint in Los Angeles has come to an end, even if the Rams are unable to find a taker via trade. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that if Jackson isn’t traded, it’s expected that the veteran wideout will be released (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter).

Jackson inked a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the Rams this past offseason. That deal included a $2.75MM base salary, and a release would mean the Rams would be left with a prorated part of that guarantee on their cap sheet.

The 34-year-old didn’t see more than 32 percent of his team’s offensive snaps through the first seven weeks of the season, culminating in only four offensive snaps during his team’s Week 7 win. The Rams recently gave Jackson permission to seek a trade elsewhere, and he was inactive during yesterday’s win over the Texans.

Jackson was limited to only eight games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and he’s hauled in only eight catches this year. However, considering the veteran’s track record, there’s a good chance Jackson will find a landing spot. However, it remains to be seen if a suitor will be willing to give up any assets to the Rams before tomorrow’s deadline.

Injury Notes: Murray, Ravens, WFT, Rams

November 1st, 2021 at 7:23pm CST by Ben Levine

Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison landed on the reserve/non-football Injury list today after being shot in the leg by a stray bullet, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.

The 23-year-old was shot outside of a Cleveland nightclub on Sunday night. According to the report, Harrison was struck by a stray bullet; four men were arrested following the shooting, and it sounds like Harrison was an innocent bystander. The linebacker suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at a Cleveland hospital. The Ravens were on their bye week, and Harrison was scheduled to return to Baltimore today.

“I don’t think it’s severe at all,” said coach John Harbaugh. “I’m optimistic that it’s going to be OK … Happy that he’s OK and very grateful that he’s OK and not hurt worse. Anything can happen. It’s just a tough situation.”

Harrison was placed on NFI, meaning he’ll have to sit out three games before he can return to practice.

More injury notes from around the NFL:

  • Kyler Murray was seen limping after tossing a game-deciding interception late during the Cardinals loss to the Packers. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like the quarterback suffered a serious injury. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that Murray suffered a sprained ankle that could take one to three weeks to get better (h/t to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). However, if swelling goes down, the QB could be good to go for Sunday’s game against the 49ers.
  • Washington Football Team starting center Chase Roullier suffered a fractured left fibula during yesterday’s loss to the Broncos, reports Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Roullier is set to get a second opinion on Tuesday, but the initial diagnosis could be hinting at a season-ending injury. The 2017 sixth-round pick has spent his entire career with Washington, and he’s started all 54 of his appearances over the past three-plus seasons.
  • Rams rookie receiver Tutu Atwell will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, head coach Sean McVay told reporters (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry on Twitter). The second-round pick has seen time in seven games this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He’s returned 10 punts for 54 yards and five kicks for 87 yards.
  • The Buccaneers are getting healthier. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that wideout Antonio Brown will likely return after the team’s bye. The veteran has missed the past two games while dealing with foot and heel injuries. Meanwhile, cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting are also recovering well from their respect injuries and could be back on the field for Week 10.

Broncos Trade Von Miller To Rams

November 1st, 2021 at 11:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have agreed to trade Von Miller to the Rams (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). In exchange, the Rams will send a second-round draft pick and a third-round selection in upcoming draft.

The Broncos will assume $9MM of Miller’s remaining salary, allowing the future Hall of Famer to squeeze under the Rams’ salary cap. That also enabled the Broncos to score a much larger haul than they would have otherwise.

The ten-year veteran missed all of 2020 with an ankle injury, prompting the Broncos to ask him for a pay cut earlier this year. Instead, the Broncos exercised his option to guarantee much of his $18MM salary. He’s still on course for unrestricted free agency next year, but he was hoping to finish out the season in Denver.

“I have totally bought into being a Coloradoan for life, let alone a Denver Bronco,” Miller said on Instagram in March. “I want to be here forever, through the thick, the thin, the Super Bowl seasons, the losing seasons. I want to be here forever.”

The Broncos improved to .500 on the year with yesterday’s win over the Washington Football Team, but GM George Paton chose to bolster his long-term prospects by trading Miller. As noted by Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link), the Broncos would have only received a compensatory 2023 fifth-round pick by allowing Miller to leave via free agency. Instead, they’ve scored a pair of valuable Day 2 picks for the upcoming draft — a clear upgrade for 2022 and beyond.

Meanwhile, Miller will provide a serious boost to the Rams’ already star-studded defense. Even at the age of 32, Miller still has plenty left in the tank, as shown by his performance in September. Miller opened the year with four sacks across the first three weeks of the season to notch AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors. Meanwhile, he’s started in all seven of his games, bringing his career total to 142. All in all, the Super Bowl 50 MVP has 110.5 career sacks to his credit to lead the Broncos’ all-time list.

The Rams will now deploy Miller alongside Aaron Donald on the defensive line, in front of a secondary headlined by Jalen Ramsey. He’ll make his debut at home on Sunday when the Rams face the 6-2 Titans.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/1/21

November 1st, 2021 at 11:00am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/21

October 30th, 2021 at 4:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is the Week 8 Saturday minor move blitz:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets 

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Rams Shopping DeSean Jackson

October 29th, 2021 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams and DeSean Jackson have mutually agreed to seek a trade, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). The wide receiver should hold appeal to other teams, but they’ll only have a few days to complete a deal.

Any team trading for Jackson will be responsible for the balance of his one-year, $4.5MM deal. The Rams could cover part of the tab, however, and potentially increase their haul.

Jackson, 34, has averaged 27.6 yards per catch through seven games this year. Of course, that also comes in a limited sample size — 8 catches for 221 yards. Much of that production came in Week 3 against the Buccaneers when he notched three receptions for 120 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown.

Rams head coach Sean McVay has confirmed the report, saying that the team will try and find “opportunities he’s deserving of” elsewhere (Twitter link via Garafolo). In the meantime, Jackson will not suit up for Sunday’s game against the Texans.

Barring a return to one of his old employers, Jackson will move on to the fifth team of his pro career. The three-time Pro Bowler led the league in 2018 with 18.9 yards per reception and could still be a serious deep threat, despite his age.

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