LA Rams Roster: SB dominoes have now fallen into place

On June 4, 2022, the LA Rams front office and roster appeared to be all bogged down in the worthwhile but meticulous tasks of contract negotiations. It was a challenging time for the personnel staff and executives, as the workload seemed to be stacking up more and more with each day. The Rams had pledged to rework contracts for elite defensive lineman Aaron Donald, star quarterback Matthew Stafford, and All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Then, the team wanted to bring back wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Well, but by the time June 4, 2022, had arrived, the LA Rams front office only managed to rework the contract for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. Of course, there was a method to the madness. but we’ll get to that a bit later.

And then there were contracts for eight drafted rookies that needed to be signed. Rookies need to be under contract quickly to ensure protection on the NFL practice field. Those are less newsworthy but just as vital to the future of the team. And rookies are not obligated to show up, even for mandatory work, until they are officially contracted to do so.

So the heat was on.

Rams’ front office has been busy

On top of all of this, there were the impatient Rams analysts and bloggers, more than happy to point out that while time advanced, the LA Rams were no closer to accomplishing their offseason checklist. But even as we pointed out the lack of progress, we were certain that once progress began, it would happen across the spectrum of reworked or new contracts rather quickly.

"“Truth be told, the LA Rams’ ability to come to terms with Odell Beckham Jr. may also depend heavily on the team’s coming to terms with Donald. That’s all due to the fact that the LA Rams do not sit on stacks of free salary cap funds. The Rams choose to make use of all available funds, and in doing so must await the dominoes to fall just so when they are hoping to sequence the reworking of contracts and signing new players. When the Aaron Donald contract gets done, the team will likely have a batch of announcements regarding officially signing rookies, a new contract with WR Cooper Kupp, and perhaps even word of Odell Beckham Jr. finally signing with the team.” – Bret Stuter per LA Rams pieces for another SB run still not falling into place"

So while it was a concern, it was not panic. The Rams’ front office had a lot of work to do in the offseason, but it was not a race. It was a jigsaw puzzle. And the corner pieces to ensure that the Rams roster took shape was the act of locking in quarterback Matthew Stafford on the offense and Aaron Donald on the defense.

The team elected to rework the contract for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford to open the offseason. So that is exactly where we will begin to discuss how the Rams roster is shaping up for a run at Super Bowl LVII.