TE Gerald Everett has become the new LA Rams villain

There is nothing quite like the NFL Free Agency market to flip a friendly player into a foe, and an unliked, even hated opponent, into an instant ally. The LA Rams are discovering just how quickly NFL players can take a page out of World Wide Entertainment (WWE) scripts by turning a hero into a heel.

It was not that tight end Gerald Everett left the Rams organization via free agency. As soon as the team drafted tight end, Brycen Hopkins, in the 2020 NFL Draft, it was pretty obvious that Gerald Everett played the 2020 NFL season for his next contract. And it makes sense too, because, despite the oaths and promises to grow that role, he inevitably settled into that same less than 500 yards receiving spot each year.

Reports gauging the NFL interest in Everett were quick to point out that he was perceived as a potential number-one tight end. And the fact that he signed one with the Seattle Seahawks with a one-year prove-it deal worth up to $7 million baked that uncertainty into his contractual relationship with his new team.  But it didn’t end there.

The infamous battle cry heard around the world

Almost immediately, Everett broadcast the infamous battle cry of one of the LA Rams fiercest NFC West rivals.

Well, that didn’t go over very well.  One of the LA Rams trusted players, a young man whose entire NFL experience had been in Rams’ horns, selling out so quickly? If he didn’t know better, someone of more experience and wisdom should have taken him aside at the exit interview and given some simple advice. Don’t overplay the move. Just show gratitude for the opportunity to play, and let your play speak for itself.

That didn’t happen.

And then, another simple video that splashed a little gasoline onto the small blaze. The tour of the Seahawks facility given to all inbound players. But this one was a bit different. You see, this one was videotaped. Images and sound. Near the end of the tour, you can hear Gerald Everett say that he is home.

Home is where the heart is.

Perspective on a one-year deal

Listen, I respect the talents of Gerald Everett. We have been perennially optimistic about his production and role each season. Sometimes too optimistic. So it’s not from a dark or mean-spirited that motivates what comes next. It’s compassion, Earnest interest is seeing the best of outcomes for a former LA Rams player, as long as it doesn’t come at the expense of the LA Rams, that is.

Gerald Everett signed a one-year deal on a division rival with public dissent between the quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll. The team just hired former Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron as their newly installed offensive coordinator. As far as job security? The Seahawks don’t register very highly on my list of things-to-look-for-in-a-new-team.

Of course, the magic of any good heel is that quality of overselling confidence. If bold claims were backed up, then it would strike fear in opponents. But when it’s not believable, it triggers outrage, contempt, and an even louder saber-rattling response to boldly proclaim otherwise.

On a one-year deal? Come on. In a year’s time, Russell Wilson may be playing for another team, Pete Carroll might retire, and Gerald Everett may be packing for a new NFL team to call home. Nobody bothered to give Everett good advice on his way out the door. But here is some free advice.

Don’t buy a home in Seattle. Rent for the year.  See what happens. And for goodness sakes, if you do sign on with a new team? At least wait until you get to training camp before reciting their battle-cry on social media. LOL.