One major storyline heading into the NFL’s free agency period has been the Los Angeles Rams and how they’re looking at revamping their offense going forward. It seems that gone are the days of the Rams’ “Big Three” of wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, and quarterback Matthew Stafford.
A few weeks ago, Kupp himself announced that the Rams would be looking to trade the star wide receiver and former “Triple Crown” winner. Kupp, oft-injured and on the wrong side of 30, should still have a pretty sizeable market, as when healthy, he is still a highly productive receiver.
Then, just days ago, after weeks of speculation, news came down that the Rams would also be looking to trade their star quarterback. Stafford and Kupp have had immense success during their time together in Los Angeles, but it seems the Rams are ready to turn the page and focus on the future of their franchise.
How does this all relate to the Minnesota Vikings? As the title suggests, one NFL analyst has gone on record as saying that the Rams should follow through on their plans to trade Stafford and, at least in the short term, replace him with Sam Darnold, a quarterback who burst onto the scene this season after years of mediocrity.
Recently, ESPN NFL analyst Aaron Schatz made one bold prediction for each team heading into free agency. His prediction for the Rams was that they follow through with trading Stafford away and pursue Darnold in free agency.
Darnold made himself a lot of money this season by revitalizing his career with the Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell. Now, Darnold is positioned to cash in big time in free agency, potentially to the tune of $40 million or more. Minnesota has the cap space to make that kind of commitment, but instead are — at least publicly — ready to turn a page of their own and hand the reins over to last year’s first-round pick, J.J. McCarthy.
The Rams, on the other hand, could be a great landing spot for Darnold. Head coach Sean McVay runs a similar system to the one O’Connell has with the Vikings, and both are known to be “player’s coaches”. Despite the Rams seemingly moving on from Kupp, they still have a star receiver in the fold with Nacua, as Darnold had in Minnesota with Justin Jefferson.
There are a lot of parallels that could see Darnold succeed in Los Angeles, but the move doesn’t come without risks. Are those risks worth taking for the Rams? We’ll see when free agency kicks off in two weeks.