Who really has the final say for LA Rams roster?

The LA Rams appeared to be a normal football team. After all, the organization fits the ideal NFL organization chart.

The team is lead on the field by Head Coach Sean McVay. McVay is a young head coach, but his success with the LA Rams is undeniable. The LA Rams have put up 11-5, 13-3, 9-7, and 10-6 seasons since he has taken over. In postseason? He is a comfortable 3-3. And so far there is no belief that the team will hit a rough patch.

McVay is meticulous. A detail-oriented personality who is only as loyal as circumstances require. When objectives are not met, McVay is just as comfortable showing someone the door. Loyalty for Sean McVay means accountability. He will belabor on the best ways to optimize the talent on the roster. But once a plan is created, that is the plan. No deviations. No distractions. Most of all, no compromises.

Leading the front office is LA Rams General Manager Les Snead. Snead is a bit of a riverboat gambler, a casual conversation, and a warm demeanor, but all the while he is counting cards and betting that his hand is better than his opponent’s.  Snead does not hesitate to run first-round draft picks onto the betting table. If he feels that the return is worthwhile, he’ll be the top-bidder every time.

The Rams have gotten a bad rap over their unconventional personnel practices. In short, the team will outbid everyone for someone they believe is valuable to the team. The front office is committed to paying the top players on the team top dollar.

Parting is such sweet … speed?

But if-and-when the Rams are disillusioned by the relationship, they act just as quickly to sever all ties. Until recently, those characteristics seem to apply to Snead. Now? I believe they are the attributes of head coach Sean McVay.

Sports Illustrated Albert Breer lays out a masterpiece describing the events that led to the LA Rams agreeing in principle to trade Jared Goff and three draft picks to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford. The part that opened my eyes was this:

"‘Along those lines, McVay was the one who called Rams owner Stan Kroenke on Saturday to sign off on the team going the extra mile to get it done, spurred by some extra tape work he and Snead did. That work only cemented what McVay loved about Stafford already—how quickly he processes, his pocket movement, his play urgency, his ability to throw off platform or in rhythm and his tough, fearless style—which pushed Snead into the mode where he was going into the afternoon with the intention of getting a deal done.’ – per Albert Breer"

That opens up a new dotted line on the org chart. Coach McVay directly to Owner Kroenke. And the way it played out, this didn’t seem like it was the first time that a call like this occurred. So what?

Well, it begins to shed new light on the decisions of this team. So who really was responsible for signing key players to massive player-friendly deals, only to swallow the financial penalties when those players failed to live up to their side of the deal?

McVay wants what McVay wants

Of the four major deals signed by the Rams on or before 2019,  only Aaron Donald has lived up to the price. The Rams have since waived RB Todd Gurley and traded both WR Brandin Cooks and QB Jared Goff.  Many blamed Snead for those contracts. Now?  Let’s not be so hasty.

It was clear that the driving force for the Matthew Stafford trade has been McVay. Now, can we extrapolate this fact to the deals and trades of the past? It’s not going out on a limb to suspect that McVay walked the same path to acquire WR Brandin Cooks, to acquire CB Jalen Ramsey, or to weigh in during contract negotiations to ensure that the team extended his players.

Who has the final say in assembling the LA Rams roster? Well, if it’s not head coach Sean McVay, he most certainly has more influence than we had ever imagined before.