Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is reportedly still considering retirement if his contract isn't tweaked to his liking.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Donald "has a number he will play for" and isn't ruling out retirement if the Rams are unable or unwilling to meet his demands.

Fowler added that Donald and the Rams are still working on a new contract that would be "record-breaking" in nature and would pay him "well above" $28 million per year.

In terms of average annual value, Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt is the highest-paid defensive player in the league at just over $28 million per season, according to Spotrac.

Donald leads the way among defensive tackles at $22.5 million per year, but it appears he is in line for a significant pay increase if he and the Rams can reach an agreement.

Under his current contract, which he agreed to in 2018, Donald is signed through 2024. The belief is that the Rams will likely have to extend his deal further in order to make a pay raise work.

Fowler noted that it is unclear if Donald wants to play into his mid-30s, but extending his deal would be the best way for the Rams to spread out and absorb the salary-cap hit that comes along with a raise.

There can be no argument against the fact that Donald has earned a raise and deserves to be the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

The 30-year-old veteran has already firmly cemented his status as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer by virtue of a long list of accolades he has achieved during his eight-year NFL career.

Donald has been named a Pro Bowler in each of his seasons, and he is a seven-time first-team All-Pro. He is also a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, tying him with Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt for the most times winning that award.

Additionally, Donald was the driving force behind the Rams winning the Super Bowl last season, as he had two sacks in L.A.'s 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Donald has only missed two regular-season games during his entire career, and he has started 123 of the 127 games he has appeared in.

His numbers leap off the page as well to the tune of 441 tackles, 98 sacks, 150 tackles for loss, 226 quarterback hits and 23 forced fumbles.

The Rams already lost pass-rusher Von Miller to the Buffalo Bills in free agency, so they can ill afford to lose a dominant interior force like Donald on top of that.

With that in mind, one can only assume the front office will find a way to give Donald what he desires contractually and keep him in blue and yellow for the remainder of his career.

Odell Beckham Jr. remains a free agent, but Rams coach Sean McVay hopes the wideout will be back in Los Angeles.

"I really want Odell back on our team. He's a guy that, in a short amount of time, we were able to develop a really special relationship. I thought he brought a great spark to our team. I thought he played really well. He's a great teammate," McVay told NFL Network's Rich Eisen on Thursday. "Without a doubt, want to get Odell back here. That's the goal and continuing to work toward a solution of him re-signing with the Rams."

Beckham played eight regular-season games with the Rams in 2021 after needling his way out of Cleveland. He recorded 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns before adding another 21 grabs for 288 yards and two scores during the playoffs. The three-time Pro Bowler suffered a torn ACL in the second quarter of the Rams' Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Matthew Stafford has also expressed interest in having Beckham return.

“I’ve been in contact with him, both checking on his knee, his new addition to his family, and just letting him know that we’d love to still have him,” Stafford told reporters. “It was an unbelievable blessing to get the chance to play with a talented player like that and honestly, such a great teammate."

Beckham's recovery from his ACL tear has led to a largely quiet market, as it's unlikely he'll be recovered in time for Week 1. The wideout said he wants to return to Los Angeles but can't do it "for free."

They kno whwre I wanna be 😂😂 just can’t play for free !

— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) May 11, 2022

The Rams already reshuffled their wide receiver depth chart by trading Robert Woods to the Tennessee Titans and signing Allen Robinson. Woods, like Beckham, is coming off an ACL tear. 

It's overwhelmingly likely that Beckham winds up back in Los Angeles; it may just be a matter of pricing. The Rams are currently $17 million over the salary cap but have about $5.7 million to work with in practical terms, per Spotrac. The team likely wants to preserve that space for most of the summer in case a major contributor goes down with an injury, which could leave Beckham out in the cold for a couple more months. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was reportedly aware of Rams owner Stan Kroenke's intention to move the franchise from St. Louis to Los Angeles well before it became public knowledge.

According to Austin Huguelet, Joel Currier and Katie Kull of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, documents released by the NFL and the Rams after the league reached a $790 million settlement with the city of St. Louis paint a picture of what went on behind the scenes leading up to the L.A. move.

When Goodell addressed the media in 2014 just days before the Super Bowl, he said he had no knowledge of Kroenke's plans to build a stadium in Los Angeles and subsequently move the Rams there, but he was actually aware of it "long before" then, per Huguelet, Currier and Kull.

The Rams' relocation was officially announced in early 2015, and the move occurred in time for the 2016 season.

After spending four years playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Rams made the move to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, once it was completed in 2020, and the Los Angeles Chargers joined them there on the heels of their relocation from San Diego.

In the released records, the Rams admitted to internally discussing a Los Angeles stadium during the summer of 2013. That included plans to show the NFL that St. Louis was in a "downward trend as a market."

Additionally, the Rams and the NFL twice worked together to release statements with the goal of keeping the move under wraps. One occurred when Kroenke first bought land at Hollywood Park where SoFi Stadium was eventually built, and the other was released when news of Kroenke building a stadium was leaked.

It was also noted that the league once considered moving the Raiders from Oakland to St. Louis to make up for the loss of the Rams, but the decision was ultimately made for the Raiders to go to Las Vegas.

The Rams have done plenty of moving around since their inception in 1936 when they were known as the Cleveland Rams. Their first move came in 1946 and it was to Los Angeles.

After nearly 50 years in L.A., the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, and they remained there until the move back to Los Angeles in 2016.

The Rams enjoyed some success in St. Louis with two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl win in 1999, but they have consistently established themselves in the upper echelon of the NFL since returning to L.A.

The Rams have reached the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2018 and a Super Bowl win last season on the heels of acquiring quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions.

That has perhaps made the deception that led to relocation sting even more for the city of St. Louis.

St. Louis did ultimately get a big-money settlement from the NFL, but it is still without an NFL franchise.

CBS announced Tuesday one of the premier games on its 2022 schedule will see Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos visit Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day.

A separate telecast will also air on Nickelodeon similar to the ones the kids network has run during the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs the last two years.

We've got a present for fans of all ages.

The @Broncos and @RamsNFL will face off on Christmas Day in a showdown on CBS along with a slime-filled presentation on @Nickelodeon. pic.twitter.com/FehuLpV3fS

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) May 10, 2022

In April, NFL vice president of broadcasting Mike North confirmed on WGR 550 (via the Associated Press) the league would play a Christmas Day tripleheader for the first time despite the NBA's annual holiday slate.

"Christmas, when it falls on an NFL game day, we've had a lot of success there, all due respect to our friends at the NBA. It is something that our fans are interested in," North said. "If Christmas falls on a Sunday, it makes perfect sense."

The CBS game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff, which means it'll be the middle game sandwiched between a 1 p.m. Fox clash and an 8 p.m. NBC contest.

Having the Broncos travel to L.A. on Christmas also eliminates one of the contenders for the league's annual opening night game, which is hosted by the Super Bowl champs.

The remaining contenders for that Week 1 matchup are likely the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.

Meanwhile, the Broncos figure to have at least a few other prime-time games on their schedule following the arrival of Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.

The nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback could find himself in the late-season MVP race on Christmas as he arrives to a passing offense with no shortage of weapons, led by Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler.

Denver also plays in the tougher conference, as the AFC is littered with high-end QBs, so it could be fighting for its playoff life in the final weeks of the regular season.

The Rams return most of the key players from last season's title team. While they should cruise to the postseason, they may be battling for the NFC's No. 1 seed down the stretch.

Between the star power and the potential for the matchup to hold a lot of meaning for both sides, the game should deliver terrific ratings for CBS.

Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller may not be on the Rams anymore, but they're going to have a large say in how the team's Super Bowl rings look.

Jason of Beverly Hills told TMZ Sports he's been working with Beckham and Miller regularly to get their input on the design of the rings.

Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald, who currently are on the Rams roster, have also been working on finalizing the design. 

"That is going to be a legendary ring," Jason said. "I'm from L.A., so to make the best Super Bowl ring in history is a big deal to me."

Jason has been responsible for the title rings worn by Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in recent years. 

Beckham remains a free agent, while Miller signed a massive $120 million contract with the Buffalo Bills in March. 

The NFL's international series this year might feature a battle between two of the NFC's top teams.

NBC Sports' Peter King reported the Los Angeles Rams "have told the league they wouldn’t mind being the Packers’ foe in London … if the league planned to put the Rams in Lambeau Field late in the season."

King also provided more details on the upcoming international slate. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head to Germany on Nov. 13. Eight days later, the Arizona Cardinals will play in Mexico City's Azteca Stadium.

While the Rams appear to be in play for London, King reported Los Angeles was one of the "logical" candidates to play the Cardinals south of the border. Like the Rams, the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers would make sense, too, since they have international marketing rights in Mexico.

The NFL has already announced the five home teams for the international games:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Munich) 
• Arizona Cardinals (Mexico City) 
• Green Bay Packers (London) 
• Jacksonville Jaguars (London) 
• New Orleans Saints (London)

King's report hit on how the international series might be an opportunity for the "road" team to deploy a little bit of gamesmanship.

The Rams traveled to Lambeau Field in Week 12 last year, and they have another trip to Green Bay in store in 2022.

As much as playing overseas can be a headache for teams, facing off with the Packers in London might be preferable to playing them on their home turf, especially in the second half of the season.

The game-time temperature for last year's clash was 37 degrees with winds of 14 mph. London in November or December isn't exactly paradise, but it might present a more amenable atmosphere for Los Angeles.

Former LSU and Cleveland Browns teammates Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry are still free agents after the close of the NFL draft on Saturday.

As far as potential landing spots go, Beckham's best spot would still appear to be the Los Angeles Rams, where he finished off last season. Landry's top spots look like the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.

Beckham told a Twitter user that he would re-sign with the Rams when they sent a "real offer."

Bihhhh u absolutely right it’s a number I’ve worn my entire life… and it’s just jokes reallllly just tryna do Cam to the world cause he stop textin me back when I talked bout buyin it!!! 😭😂😭😭 and lastly Gladly sign a extension!!!! Tell them send me a real offfer

— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) April 29, 2022

It's clear that Rams general manager Les Snead wants Beckham back.

"He's someone that we definitely want back," Snead told reporters in March.

"A little bit more complex situation based on the injury. We envision it being similar but different circumstances to last year. When Odell is ready to play, we'd appreciate him being part of [the Rams]."

Tyler Dragon of USA Today reported April 8 that the Rams were still a possibility. Beckham is currently recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the Rams' Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals and isn't expected to be ready for Week 1, but he's recovering well and reportedly has multiple teams interested.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that OBJ was open to the possibility of returning to the Browns, where he spent 2019-2021.

However, Cabot said a return was unlikely, and that door appeared to slam when news broke that Beckham was selling his Columbia Station, Ohio, home that he bought right before his first game in Cleveland.

The Falcons selected USC wide receiver Drake London with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, but they did not select any other pass-catchers.

Atlanta still needs work at the position after losing Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage over the past two years, and Landry could be a starter alongside London.

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported in March that Landry would pay a visit to Atlanta.

As for the Saints, New Orleans has a pair of starting wideouts in Michael Thomas and now Chris Olave, who went No. 11 overall in the draft. Adding Landry to play the slot would give New Orleans one of the best wideout trios in the NFL. It's already pretty good with Tre'Quan Smith there right now, but Landry would be an upgrade.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Landry was set to visit the Saints on April 20.

In sum, Beckham and Landry are two of the best free agents on a long list of talented veterans remaining out there post-draft. Some clarity should come to light soon enough as depth charts take better shape.

HEIGHT: 5'11 7/8"

WEIGHT: 194

HAND: 9 1/8"

ARM: 31"

WINGSPAN: 6'2 3/8"

40-YARD DASH: DNP

3-CONE: DNP

SHUTTLE: DNP

VERTICAL: DNP

BROAD: DNP

POSITIVES

— Performs well when playing in both man and zone coverage.

— Patient defender who plays with good leverage at the line of scrimmage, in press and downfield. Puts himself in the best positions to make plays.

— Plays fast and shows quick reactions when given a clear read. Has very good aggression and physicality in the run game.

— Has smooth hips when asked to turn and run. Does a good job shadowing the receiver downfield. Excels at sinking his hips to get out of breaks.

— Always has vision of the ball in the air and looks to locate it when running downfield. Does a very good job of playing the ball through the reception point.

NEGATIVES

— Can have tunnel vision at times, causing him to be slow to react when he has multiple threats in his zone.

— Has trouble when pressed with vertical speed. Can often get beat off the line of scrimmage, causing him to panic and lose body control when trailing.

— Lacks the top-end speed to carry twitchier players downfield.

2021 STATISTICS

15 G, 41 TOT, 2 TFL, 4 INT, 3 PBU

NOTES

— Transferred to Georgia in 2021 after three seasons at Clemson.

— Started out as a receiver his freshman year at Clemson (2018).

OVERALL

Derion Kendrick was a three-year starter for Clemson before transferring to Georgia, where he earned a starting role at cornerback. He plays with very good pad level and has top athletic movement. 

Kendrick is a versatile cornerback who can make plays in both zone and man coverage. In man, he plays with great leverage and positioning. He's able to quickly and fluidly get in and out of breaks. 

Kendrick struggles with receivers who immediately threaten him with speed, causing him to panic and play outside of his skill set. Though his leverage helps his play, there are times where receivers easily run right past him. In zone coverage, he plays with good vision and anticipation, but he can get overwhelmed with multiple threats at times. 

When playing the run, Kenrick is able to react best when he's given a clear lane to see things develop. He’s a willing tackler who does a good job staying in his run lane, as well as attacking the ball-carrier, but there are times where he can melt off tackles. 

Kenrick had amazing production throughout his college career at two top programs. However, NFL receivers will test his lack of speed. 

Unfortunately, Kendrick didn't answer the question about his lack of speed at his pro day. He will most likely slide on draft day as a result, but if he can continue to make plays while handling the speed difference, he will have the opportunity to make plenty of plays in the NFL.

GRADE: 7.1 (High-level Backup/Potential Starter - 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 101

POSITION RANK: CB12

PRO COMPARISON: Stephon Gilmore

  

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

The Cleveland Browns traded cornerback Troy Hill to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for an undisclosed future draft pick.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the deal, which will bring Hill back to the franchise where he spent five of his first six seasons. Hill signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Browns last offseason.

The veteran recorded 49 tackles and failed to record an interception for the first time since 2017 during his lone season in Cleveland. The Browns started Hill only twice in 2021 after he started all 16 games for the Rams a year prior.

Pro Football Focus gave Hill a grade of 60.1, the second-worst mark of his career.

The Rams are likely banking on Hill returning to form after getting back in a system where he's comfortable. Hill will likely compete with Robert Rochell for the left cornerback spot opposite of Jalen Ramsey in camp.

The Rams are set to be on the hook for Hill's $1.5 million base salary. 

The Los Angeles Rams brass were among those stunned by the New England Patriots selecting UT-Chattanooga guard Cole Strange in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead reacted in real time to seeing Strange go off the board with the 29th pick:

Sean McVay's reaction to the Pats pick during the 2022 NFL draft 🤣 https://t.co/e0LC0dv2n0

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 29, 2022

"We wasted our time watching him thinking he'd be at 104 maybe," McVay said while laughing.

Strange was ranked 98th overall by Bleacher Report's Scouting Department and considered the 12th best interior offensive lineman in the class. 

The Rams traded each of their first three picks in this draft and aren't slated to pick until the end of the third round, holding a special compensatory selection at No. 104. They seemingly thought they had a good sleeper on their board in Strange, but the Patriots drafted the experienced guard well ahead of projections.

It seems Los Angeles will have to look even further down its draft board to find someone at the end of Day 2.