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Rams Expected To Pick Up Matthew Stafford’s Options

January 14th, 2023 at 9:21am CST by Ben Levine

Matthew Stafford already made it clear that he’d be returning for the 2023 season, and the Rams are prepared to make it official. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Rams are expected to pick up Stafford’s 2023 option bonus and 2024 salary by the third day of the league year.

[RELATED: Latest On Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s Future]

The two-year commitment will cost the organization more than $50MM. Stafford’s $1.5MM 2023 base salary and prorated $12MM signing bonus were already fully guaranteed at signing. With this latest move, the Rams are locking themselves into a 2023 option bonus worth $26MM and a 2024 guaranteed salary of $31MM.

This always seemed like the expected route, but considering the uncertainty in Los Angeles surrounding Sean McVay‘s future, it was fair to wonder if the Rams could look towards a complete rebuild. In such a scenario, the Rams could have designated Stafford as a post-June 1 cap casualty, a move that still would have let them with $13.5MM dead cap in 2023 and a whopping $36MM in 2024.

Stafford was sidelined for much of the summer with an elbow issue. After struggling during the regular season and dealing with a pair of concussions, he ultimately landed on injured reserve in early December with a spinal cord contusion. The 34-year-old was limited to only nine games, with his 10 touchdowns being his lowest mark since a three-game appearance with Detroit in 2010.

Despite the growing list of ailments, Stafford rejected the retirement rumors last month. He doubled down during his end-of-season press conference, telling reporters that he never considered hanging up his cleats and is feeling “really comfortable and confident in moving forward” (per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop).

Sean McVay To Remain With Rams

January 13th, 2023 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams are no longer awaiting word on Sean McVay‘s future. After rumblings he was going to leave after six seasons surfaced, McVay is shooting that talk down. He will come back.

McVay informed members of the Rams organization he plans to stay in place as the team’s head coach, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The team gave McVay space to make his decision, and he took a few days. Despite the Rams’ 5-12 finish and a run of injuries gutting their depth chart this season, the Super Bowl-winning HC will attempt to pick up the pieces in 2023.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff said the team had a contingency plan, with the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein indicating defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and tight ends coach Thomas Brown almost certainly resided as McVay fallback options. Both coaches are up for other positions, but each could also return as top McVay lieutenants next season. McVay is considering staff changes, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo add (via Twitter).

Still the youngest head coach in the NFL, McVay has received extensive interest from networks for prime analyst roles. Even part-time work would have satisfied certain networks, giving McVay a lucrative out from his Rams post. The wunderkind coach confirmed he is interested in pursuing a TV career at some point. Amazon and Fox wooed him last year, but he turned each down and signed an extension that made him one of the league’s highest-paid coaches. It appears the 36-year-old leader will stay on that contract and attempt a Rams reload.

A Sunday report pointed to McVay being likelier to step away, though The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue indicated some among the Rams believed he would ultimately come back (Twitter link). The Rams sent out an ominous message earlier this week, letting their assistants know lateral moves to other teams, as McVay pondered his future, would not be blocked. While it does sound like staff changes are coming — one we know will happen is at the offensive coordinator post, after Liam Coen returned to Kentucky — several key Rams staffers will likely be back.

McVay’s arrival in Los Angeles turned the Rams from the league’s worst passing offense to the NFL’s top scoring team, resulting in a 2017 playoff berth and Coach of the Year honors. Proving to be one of the modern game’s premier offensive minds, McVay accomplished that feat at 31, led the Rams to the Super Bowl at 32 and won it at 35, putting himself on a trajectory to become one of the game’s all-time greats — should he choose to stick around long enough to bolster his resume. The Rams are 60-38 under McVay, but they did just complete the worst Super Bowl title defense in history.

Last year, the Rams extended Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp. By December, none of those stars were available. The 2022 season flipped the Rams’ injury fortune, with offensive line setbacks also crushing the team. L.A. started four quarterbacks, including waiver claim Baker Mayfield. Stafford, 35 in February, said he has no plans to retire. The Rams prioritized a healthy Stafford offseason — after 2022’s featured nagging elbow trouble — and used Mayfield down the stretch. Donald, who joined Kupp as the drivers of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win last year, also made it clear McVay played a major role in his decision not to retire last year.

The Rams will face familiar problems in 2023: no first-round pick (they do have a second-rounder this year) and a cap-space figure projected to be near the bottom of the league. These issues have not deterred the McVay-Les Snead regime from continually fielding strong teams, but 2023 — when Kupp will join Donald and Stafford as over-30 standouts — may be more challenging.

McVay leaving the Rams could have brought an organization-altering change, considering the value he has presented the team over the past six years. Checking this box will be the most important, and the Rams can now move on to staff and roster matters as they attempt to assemble a fifth playoff team in the McVay era.

Texans Request HC Interview With Rams’ Thomas Brown

January 12th, 2023 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although they will join the other head coach-needy teams in the Sean Payton sweepstakes, the Texans otherwise have identified a type of coach they will covet during their latest pursuit. They will aim to have another young assistant on their docket.

The team sent out a request to interview Rams tight ends coach Thomas Brown, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Brown is a new name on this year’s coaching carousel, and this is the Sean McVay staffer’s first known opportunity to interview for an NFL HC gig.

Brown, however, was on the radar for Arizona State’s HC position recently and interviewed for the Rams’ offensive coordinator job last year. He has been on McVay’s staff since since 2020. Brown, 36, has only been in the NFL since that point; prior to the 2020s, he spent nearly a decade as a college assistant. This represents quite the rise for Brown, who spent his first two years with the Rams as their running backs coach. But he has generated praise as a rising candidate.

The Rams also have Brown on the radar for their OC role, one Liam Coen vacated officially this week by returning to Kentucky. McVay has not determined if he will return for a seventh season. That obviously overshadows everything else Rams for the time being, and it clouds the coaching staff’s future. The Rams will not block any assistant from taking a job elsewhere right now, inviting more speculation about a potential McVay departure.

The Texans have sent out eight interview requests since firing Lovie Smith. With the exception of Payton, all are under 42. Brown joins DeMeco Ryans, Shane Steichen, Ben Johnson and Mike Kafka in being under 40. The team intends to interview Ejiro Evero next week; Brown’s ex-Rams coworker-turned-Broncos DC has already interviewed for the Denver and Indianapolis HC positions. Josh McCown, who interviewed for the Texans’ job in each of the past two offseasons, has not been connected to the post this year. But, after two years with 60-something HCs, GM Nick Caserio has a host of candidates in McCown’s age bracket on the radar.

NFC Injury Rumors: Rams, Commanders, Penning, Swift

January 11th, 2023 at 9:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Rams rookie safety Russ Yeast endured a scary moment on Sunday in the team’s loss to the Seahawks, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN. The seventh-round pick earned the first start of his career in place of Nick Scott, who was placed on injured reserve last week.

In the game, Yeast suffered a pulmonary contusion and needed to be taken to the hospital via ambulance. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters that Yeast was in stable condition but would stay in the hospital overnight. Yeast was reportedly scheduled to return to Los Angeles on Monday, according to The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue.

Following the dramatic events around Bills safety Damar Hamlin, another cardiac event requiring a hospital visit was the last thing the NFL wanted to see in Week 18.

Here are a few other injury rumors from around the NFC:

  • As the Commanders‘ season came to an end, Washington decided to address some players’ injuries, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. Head coach Ron Rivera informed the media before their final regular season matchup that running back Antonio Gibson underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his foot. Additionally, defensive tackle John Ridgeway tore a pectoral muscle in the team’s season finale against the Cowboys. He’ll have the full offseason to recover.
  • Saints first round rookie tackle Trevor Penning missed much of his first NFL season with a foot injury. What was initially thought to be a “bad case of turf toe” ended up being a torn ligament in his foot, resulting in him missing the first 11 games of his debut season. Penning would eventually work his way back and earn some snaps as a backup lineman before earning the first start of his career in Week 18. Unfortunately, a rough start for the Northern Iowa product has gotten even tougher as he suffered a Lisfranc injury in the season finale against the Panthers, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Penning faces a long recovery of approximately five to six months, but if he can come back by June, he should be able to make it back for part of the offseason training program in New Orleans.
  • Early in the season, Lions running back D’Andre Swift suffered a high ankle sprain and a separated shoulder that would dog him for the rest of the year. Despite playing through those ailments for much of the season, there doesn’t appear to be any need for surgery in the offseason, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Swift will reportedly meet with medical professionals in the next few weeks but is under the impression that, come next season, he will be fully healthy and ready to go.

Rams Will Not Block Assistant Coach Moves; Frank Reich On OC Radar

January 10th, 2023 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sean McVay has not confirmed he will return for a seventh season with the Rams, keeping the team in suspense. As the Rams wait on an answer, they will not stand in the way of any assistant who has an opportunity with another team.

The Rams will not block any assistant from leaving, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. While teams can no longer block position coaches from coordinator interviews, they can impede lateral moves. The Rams will not do so, adding more uncertainty as McVay determines his path.

Los Angeles has already lost multiple assistants, including offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who officially rejoined the University of Kentucky on Tuesday. Coen, who is now a two-time Rams and two-time Wildcats assistant, agreed to again become the SEC team’s OC weeks ago. Coen was the Rams’ third OC under McVay, following Kevin O’Connell and Matt LaFleur. The Rams went without an OC from 2018-19, following LaFleur’s move to the Titans. McVay’s presence minimizes the role of the Rams’ OC, but the team is eyeing an experienced play-caller for the position.

The Rams have shown some interest in ex-Colts HC Frank Reich for the job, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets. Thomas Brown and Zac Robinson are internal candidates for the gig, per Rodrigue, though filling Coen’s post will obviously need to wait on McVay’s call. Arizona State had Brown on the radar for its HC job, and the Vikings interviewed him for their OC job last year. But the Rams’ tight ends coach remains in place. Robinson is the Rams’ passing-game coordinator; he has been with the team since 2019.

It would represent a major step down, role-wise, for Reich to join the Rams (assuming McVay stays). The five-year Colts coach said he wanted to be a head coach again, hopefully as soon as 2023, and teams have him on their radar. The Panthers are expected to interview Reich. Any coordinator overtures, which should emerge from other teams besides the Rams, will presumably need to wait on Reich’s latest HC carousel ride.

Reich, 61, would obviously provide the Rams with a wealth of experience, but it would be unusual for the longtime play-caller to accept a non-play-calling OC role. Reich did hold such a position in Philadelphia, however, with Doug Pederson calling the Eagles’ plays during Reich’s two-year stay on his staff. In Indianapolis, Reich called plays throughout his tenure. Prior to going to Philly, Reich served as the Chargers’ OC — also under an offense-oriented head coach, Mike McCoy — for two seasons.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/23

January 9th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

18 teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and their front offices have already turned the page to the 2023 NFL seaon. This started today, as a number of players were signed to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • WR Ty Fryfogle

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Broncos Request HC Interviews With Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris, DeMeco Ryans

January 9th, 2023 at 10:35am CST by Adam La Rose

The list of candidates for the vacant Broncos’ head coaching role continues to grow. Denver has formally requested an interview with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). In addition, Mike Klis of 9News tweets that the Broncos have reached out for permission to speak with Rams DC Raheem Morris and 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans. 

The Quinn news comes as no surprise, given the degree to which he has been linked to Denver this offseason and last. The former Falcons HC was one of the top candidates in the 2022 coaching cycle, taking part in interviews with the Broncos but also the Bears, Dolphins, Vikings, and Giants.

Choosing to remain in Dallas for one more year proved to be a fruitful one for Quinn. The 52-year-old led Dallas to a solid showing in most defensive categories, including the fifth-fewest points allowed per game (20.1) and the league’s third-highest sack (54) and seventh-highest interception (16) totals. He has experience as a head coach (something widely thought to be a top priority for the Broncos after their disappointing results in recent years with rookie HCs), and has familiarity with Russell Wilson given their shared time in Seattle.

Morris, likewise, has a lengthy NFL resume including a three-year stint as head coach of the Buccaneers and time spent alongside Quinn in Atlanta. He has held his current role in Los Angeles for the past two years, and helped guide the team’s defense during their Super Bowl win last year. The 46-year-old has been named as a candidate to replace Sean McVay should he step away from the Rams, but he is also a likely to be highly sought-after from outside teams as well.

The same is expected to hold true of Ryans, 38. He has been a member of San Francisco’s staff since 2017, working his way up to the DC role last year. Over the course of the past two campaigns, the 49ers have boasted an elite unit on that side of the ball, making Ryans a serious head coaching candidate in short order. With San Francisco being playoff-bound, he, like Quinn, will not be eligible to interview with the Broncos until next week at the earliest, should Denver be granted permission to do so.

The Broncos already have their first set of interviews lined up, with current DC Ejiro Evero and, virtually, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. The addition of Quinn, Morris and Ryans to their list of candidates – which also includes, of course, Sean Payton – will make the Denver search one to watch in the coming weeks.

Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order

January 8th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Some fireworks came in regarding the draft order on the NFL’s final regular-season day. The Bears upended the Texans for the No. 1 pick, reeling in a team that held that top slot for much of the season. The Bears last made a pick at No. 1 overall in 1947. Their former head coach — Lovie Smith, whom the Texans just fired — oversaw this final-day flip-flop. Clarity on the rest of the non-playoff-bound teams’ draft slots emerged as well.

The Jaguars’ rally to win the AFC South moves them into a postseason spot, and the Titans’ seven-game losing streak to end the season drops them to their highest selection since 2017. Tennessee’s next general manager will have the opportunity to make a pick at No. 11 or deal from that draft position, while Jacksonville will hold its lowest selection since 2018. The Texans will hold two top-12 picks in April, thanks to the Browns’ Week 18 loss to the Steelers, while the Lions will have two in the top 20 as well.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks at the regular season’s close:

  1. Chicago Bears: 3-14
  2. Houston Texans: 3-13-1
  3. Arizona Cardinals: 4-13
  4. Indianapolis Colts: 4-12-1
  5. Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
  6. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
  7. Las Vegas Raiders: 6-11
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Carolina Panthers: 7-10
  10. Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
  11. Tennessee Titans: 7-10
  12. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  13. New York Jets: 7-10
  14. New England Patriots: 8-9
  15. Green Bay Packers: 8-9
  16. Washington Commanders: 8-8-1
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-8
  18. Detroit Lions: 9-8
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-9
  20. Seattle Seahawks: 9-8
  21. Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-8
  22. New York Giants: 9-7-1
  23. Baltimore Ravens: 10-7
  24. Los Angeles Chargers: 10-7
  25. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
  26. Cincinnati Bengals: 12-4
  27. Minnesota Vikings: 13-4
  28. Denver Broncos (via 49ers)
  29. Buffalo Bills: 13-3
  30. Kansas City Chiefs: 14-3
  31. Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3

This year’s draft will feature a 31-pick first round. The Dolphins’ penalty for the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering scandal cost them their 2023 first-round choice

Latest On Sean McVay’s Rams Future

January 8th, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Adam La Rose

JANUARY 8: Illustrating a notably different situation in McVay’s case, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports that the Super Bowl winner is leaning towards stepping away (video link). Specifically, he adds that members of the organization would be “more surprised if he came back than if he left.”

Glazer also predicts that McVay is not, in fact, likely to take a significant period of time to arrive at his ultimate decision. That stands in stark contrast to previous reporting on the matter, but will no doubt add to the speculation that a parting of ways could be imminent. In the event McVay does step aside, Glazer names defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as a candidate to replace him. When speaking to the media after today’s loss to the Seahawks, McVay declined to comment on his future, leaving his status in the air as the offseason begins in Los Angeles.

JANUARY 7: As the offseason approaches for non-playoff teams, speculation has once again ramped up that Rams head coach Sean McVay will be headed elsewhere in the near future. Regardless of what his next move will be, the Super Bowl winner will take time in the coming weeks to weigh his options.

McVay, 36, has continued to draw the interest of TV networks eyeing him as an addition to their broadcast teams. The possibility of a move from the sidelines to the booth was a top storyline for Los Angeles’ 2022 offseason, one in which a number of key players, general manager Les Snead and McVay himself each signed multi-year extensions.

Now, however, things are once again in danger of changing dramatically. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that McVay’s immediate future with the Rams “is in limbo” and that he will “take some time” following tomorrow’s season finale to determine his next steps. Ian Rapoport of Network confirms that the next few weeks will see the sixth-year HC spend time away from football “to consider his future” (video link).

Schefter notes that a number of events both on and off the field have taken their toll on McVay over the course of the past several months, beginning with the Rams’ Super Bowl victory last February. That result – coupled with the fact that a number of core pieces remained with the team during the offseason – led to considerable expectations once again in 2022. The Rams have fallen well short, though, going 5-11 to date amidst a slew of injuries and a substantial regression in efficiency on offense.

That has guaranteed the first losing season of McVay’s tenure, one which includes a .619 winning percentage in the regular season and another Super Bowl appearance aside from last year’s victory. Los Angeles faces a number of issues in the coming offseason after the disappointment of this campaign, as they are yet again without their first-round pick for the upcoming draft and in worse shape with respect to projected 2023 cap space than most teams.

McVay declined to comment on the Schefter report concerning his short-term future, but he confirmed earlier this week that he would be interested in a media role “down the line,” suggesting that a move to broadcasting could be less likely now than it was one year ago. In any event, his thought process in the weeks to come will be one of the league’s top storylines.

Rams S Nick Scott Placed On IR

January 7th, 2023 at 2:01pm CST by Ely Allen

The long list of Rams’ starters either out or on injured reserve for the team’s season finale grew one player longer today as Los Angeles placed safety Nick Scott on IR to end the season. Scott had started every game of the season up to this point.

Scott suffered a shoulder injury two days ago in practice, separate from the stinger he sustained in the Rams’ loss to their cross-town rivals last week. Head coach Sean McVay was the one who informed the media that the shoulder issue will prevent Scott from completing a fully healthy season.

In Scott’s absence, rookie seventh-round pick Russ Yeast will earn the first start of his career next to Taylor Rapp. Yeast started the season as a core special teamer but earned more and more playing time on defense as the season progressed. His first start will occur in his 15th NFL appearance.

The Rams made two more roster moves in preparation for their season-ending matchup in Seattle. Practice squad tight end Jared Pinkney has been signed to the active roster, taking Scott’s spot in the 53-man group. Los Angeles also promoted defensive back T.J. Carter from the practice squad as their last standard gameday elevation of the year.

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