Super Bowl 56 ended in a heroic way, with the Los Angeles Rams reversing with quarterback Stafford and outside receiver Cap in the face of injuries to the main outsider, and won the Lombardi Cup with defensive interceptor Donald's desperate tackle and goodbye close tackle. However, with the arrival of the Super Bowl title, it also means that the preparations for the new season have officially begun. And now as the defending champion, what kind of operations may the offseason bring?
Estimates for retired personnel
Before the Super Bowl, coach Sean McVeigh and defensive interceptor Aaron Donald both reported the news of "retiring after winning the championship"; but a day later, McVeigh had officially announced that he would continue to coach, although Donald said in an interview after winning the championship that the future was uncertain, but with his status and great influence in defense, it is estimated that the Rams will do their best to keep the three-time defensive player of the year, and even hesitate to issue another big contract. You must know that the sky-high contract he signed in 2018 is about to expire. (Please don't poison milk)
However, there is a player who is likely to retire, that is, the team's veteran left interceptor Andrew Whitworth, the veteran who won this year's Walter Payton Award is not only the oldest starting left interceptor in the league, but also the first 40-year-old veteran in NFL history who is still playing the starting left interceptor, which can be said to be a living fossil of the left interception! After winning the Super Bowl this year, he is expected to choose to retire after achieving fame.
Coach changes
Before the Super Bowl, the Vikings locked in the Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell as the team's new manager, although it has not yet been officially announced, but the two teams have basically recognized this fact from top to bottom, and even the Vikings' big outsider Justin Jefferson has publicly stated that he is "excited" about playing under O'Connell. However, the Rams also have a back-to-back move, considering mcVeigh's previous poor record when calling the tactics himself, so he may continue to improve internally, and the team's quarterback coach Zach Robinson may serve as the offensive coordinator for the new season.
Player contract renewal status
Usually, Super Bowl champion teams will be based on renewing the existing team, such as last year's Pirates did their best to leave all 22 starters on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. But that seems unlikely to happen to the Rams, who first have to deal with the two star players brought in mid-season. Veteran passer von Miller was immediately satisfied with the team's forward pressure reinforcement, and the Super Bowl also contributed 2 tackles, but the Rams seemed unable to make a long contract for him, and the veteran said that his heart was still in Denver and did not rule out the possibility of returning to the nest. And once there is a team that can offer him a 3-4 year contract, Miller is less likely to stay in Los Angeles.
Even more troublesome is Xiao Bei's contract, because he was introduced in the middle of the season to make up for the team's external successor Robert Woods to reimburse the team for the season. In the new season, Woods recovered from injury, and the team did not need Xiaobei much, let alone give him a big contract. In addition, Xiaobei tore his front cruciate ligament in the Super Bowl, and it is likely that he will not be able to fully recover at the beginning of the regular season of the new season, so the Rams will most likely not choose to renew his contract. With the recovery of running back Cam Ax, it is also difficult for former Patriots first-round runback Sony Michel to stay in the team.
Free-market reinforcements
This piece has always been the short board of the Rams, because of general manager Sneijder's unique team building philosophy, several large contracts to get the team is really shy, not to mention the reinforcements, not like last season's layoffs have been thankful. But this year's situation is more special, the Rams have to do some work in the free agent market, such as picking a replacement for Whitworth, and finding some suitable linebackers. Just look down.
Draft reinforcement intentions
Many friends may wonder, if the Rams lack people, won't it be better to make up for it with the draft? Guess how many draft picks the Rams have signed this year... Two! One is a five-round pick and one is a seven-round pick! These two signatures can make up for something, and the people who are not selected can't keep it. Let's take a look, the first-round pick was sent to the Lions in the Stafford trade, the second round + third round was sent to the Mustang in the Miller trade, and the fourth-round pick was sent to the Texans in the 2020 deal to take over Brendin Cooks for a second-round pick at the time, and who did the Rams choose with this second-round pick? Outside receiver Van Jefferson. There was also a six-round pick that was traded for running back Michelle.
So, if the Rams don't figure out how to make a fuss on the free agency market, they're going to be a lost draft haven, and there's a good chance that there will be a whole bunch of lost rookies in the team's training camp. And if the two gaps in the offensive interceptor and linebacker are not solved in the free market, the only five-round picks and seven-round picks are likely to be used to supplement these two positions.
(Aibao)