Los Angeles Rams Mock Offseason 1.0: The Rams can afford an all-in free agency splash for one more season with Matthew Stafford

How can the Rams smartly go all in for one more run with Stafford?

AJ Schulte — College Football Trending News Writer
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Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field.
Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

This is the “gotta have it” offseason for the Los Angeles Rams.

They have one more year with Matthew Stafford under center, and everyone in the building knows it. The team is in Super Bowl or Bust mode, and they have to nail every move in the offseason for one more run after coming tantalizingly close in 2024 and 2025. General manager Les Snead has already said he’s willing to revert back to his old ways and get aggressive. How does that look? I did a mock offseason, mixing what I think the team will do with what I would do.

Los Angeles Rams mock offseason 1.0

In-house contract restructures, extensions, and cuts

  • Extend G Kevin Dotson: $11,828,000 in cap savings
  • Extend G Steve Avila: $1,968,000 in cap savings
  • Extend WR Puka Nacua: $3,610,400 in cap savings
  • Extend EDGE Byron Young: $3,610,400 in cap savings
  • Extend DT Kobie Turner: $2,168,000 in cap savings
  • Cut CB Darious Williams: $7,500,000 in cap savings
  • Total cap savings: $27,074,400
  • Cap space: $73,474,400
  • Effective cap space (cap space – projected draft class): $66,029,942

The Rams have plenty of financial flexibility for both now and in the future. Stafford (and likely Adams) are done at the end of next season, and other contracts like Colby Parkinson and Coleman Shelton will expire at the end of the season. Moving off of their expensive contracts is well-timed with the abundance of extensions the Rams will have to navigate now and in the future, with all of Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Byron Young, and Kobie Turner eligible this year and Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and potentially Kamren Kinchens eligible next offseason.

Free agency signings and re-signings

  • Retain K Harrison Mevis: 1 year, $1,005,000, $1 million cap hit year one
  • Retain IOL Justin Dedich: 1 year, $1,075,000, $1 million cap hit year one
  • Re-sign CB Roger McCreary: 1 year, $6 million, $4 million cap hit year one
  • Re-sign QB Jimmy Garoppolo: 1 year, $6 million, $3.25 million cap hit year one
  • Re-sign S Kam Curl: 2 years, $17.5 million, $7 million cap hit year one
  • Sign WR Rashid Shaheed: 2 years, $28 million, $9 million cap hit year one
  • Sign LB Devin Lloyd: 3 years, $48 million, $7 million cap hit year one
  • Sign TE Charlie Kolar: 2 years, $8 million, $5 million cap hit year one
  • Sign OT Vederian Lowe: 2 years, $4 million, $2.1 million cap hit year one
  • Sign IOL Sean Rhyan: 1 year, $3 million, $3 million cap hit year one
  • Sign CB James Pierre: 1 year, $5 million, $3.1 million cap hit year one

I think the Rams will want to see what they have in Roger McCreary after trading for him, hence their extension of him. Jimmy Garoppolo is loved internally, and if he’s content to sit behind Stafford again, bringing him back makes all the sense in the world. Kam Curl is going to be tricky to figure out, as the Rams never extend safeties, but he is well-liked, and he did have a strong playoff outing. If he can return in a revised role in the box, I’d be down to bring him back.

I will believe the Rams will make a massive move at linebacker when I see it. However, the last time the Rams tried to go all in, remember that they paid Bobby Wagner a pretty penny to lure him to Los Angeles. While that didn’t completely work out (mainly because the Rams wanted a reset and Wagner was the wrong age), it could be something they explore again, but this time with an elite player in his prime. They have all the room and flexibility to make it work.

The Shaheed addition is one that may or may not be controversial, but he’d be what the Rams thought Tutu Atwell could be and can actually remain on the field, even when the Rams go to heavier personnel (something that didn’t happen with Atwell). He’s the missing explosive gear the offense needs and he’s arguably the best returner in the league, something the Rams special teams desperately needs. If you’re all in, you can’t afford to cut corners on the margins in every facet.

Beyond that, I settled for shoring up their offensive line depth with a solid swing tackle in Vederian Lowe and a swing interior player in Sean Rhyan. Both are intimately familiar with the style of Rams’ offense and can add competitive depth up front. Additionally, Pierre brings a productive veteran to the cornerback room, while Kolar adds a well-rounded skill set to fill out the tight end room after Higbee’s departure.

Trades

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed a scenario where the Rams trade pick #29 to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for CB Trent McDuffie. I love the idea so much that I decided to incorporate it. However….I’m not completely sold on the idea that McDuffie will need a first-round pick to acquire, no matter what fans say.

Since 2000, only three cornerbacks have been traded for first-round picks: Darrelle Revis, Jalen Ramsey, and Sauce Gardner. As talented as McDuffie is, he’s not the same caliber of player that those three are. However, the Rams have more picks than they know what to do with right now. I propose:

Los Angeles Rams receive: CB Trent McDuffie
Kansas City Chiefs receive: 2026 second-round pick (#61), 2026 fifth-round pick (#167)

The Rams traded for Marcus Peters for a 2018 4th and 2019 2nd, and the Raiders acquired DeAngelo Hall from the Falcons for a similar package. Considering the Chiefs don’t have a ton of draft ammo and the Rams have six picks on Day 3, I think both sides would be fine with this package. If the Rams tack on an extension for McDuffie, they could lower his 2026 cap hit from $13m to roughly 9 or 10 million, giving them plenty of wiggle room for operating costs in-season.

Rams 7-round NFL Mock Draft

  • Round 1, Pick 13: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
  • Round 1, Pick 29: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, SAF, Toledo
  • Round 3, Pick 93: De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss
  • Round 6, Pick 206: Owen Heinecke, LB, Oklahoma
  • Round 6, Pick 209: Avery Smith, CB, Toledo
  • Round 7, Pick 233: Mason Reiger, EDGE, Wisconsin
  • Round 7, Pick 251: Fa’alili Fa’amoe, OT, Wake Forest
  • Round 7, Pick 256: Adam Randall, RB, Clemson

Trading for Trent McDuffie AND spending 13th overall on a cornerback? Call me insane, but it’s what I would do if I was the Rams. I think the Rams desperately need to overhaul their philosophy in the secondary, and McCoy would likely be the best player available on the board. Solve your cornerback woes for the next several seasons and call it a night.

McNeil-Warren slots right in to replace Kam Curl as their starting strong safety, while Stribling gives them a big-bodied possession chain mover to rotate with Adams and Nacua on the outside.

Heinecke gives them some more coverage ability in the linebacker room and another ace special teamer, while Smith, Reiger, Fa’amoe, and Randall help shore up the depth in their respective rooms affected by free agent departures.

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