LA Rams: The curious odyssey of quarterback Jim Everett

When LA Rams quarterback Jim Everett replaced Steve Dils as the starter for the LA Rams, it began an odyssey that would result in the third overall selection from the 1986 NFL Draft stepping off the bench to lead Rams Head Coach John Robinson’s offense for the first time. He was a perfect fit.

The Houston Oilers had originally selected the Purdue alum hoping he would provide a motivated team to make a deal. Houston already had a Hall of Famer in veteran quarterback Warren Moon, and the selection of Everett was a move that surprised the league.

When a deal was not made immediately, eventually the Houston Oilers traded Everett to the LA Rams. In return, they would receive Pro Bowl guard Kent Hill, defensive end William Fuller, the Rams’ first-round pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, a first-round pick in the 1988 NFL Draft, and a fifth-round pick in 1987. That deal became known as “The Everett Trade.” It seems that the Rams organization has been in the business of blockbuster trades for quarterbacks for some time.

Because he was not signed by the Oilers, Everett would miss the entirety of training camp and the first two weeks of the 1986 NFL season before landing with the LA Rams.

"“I learned a lot about the NFL being drafted by the Houston Oilers,” Everett said. “You look at No. 1 picks and they don’t want to be at that particular place, and you think they’re just greedy. I learned a little bit about how you need to represent yourself. I was almost a Packer. I was almost a 49er. And then I became a Ram, and it just felt good to be someplace that wanted you. And needed you. Coach (John) Robinson was going to give me eight weeks to understand the terminology and the whole deal. I felt like I was ready to go a couple weeks earlier, and I was begging for him to put me in. And yeah, it was a long road (before I got to play in) Week 11, but once we got in there, it was really fun.” – per Jim Everett as reported by Jim Gehman of Therams.com"

It wasn’t until Week -11 of the 1986 season that Coach Robinson would allow his new QB, Jim Everett, to see the field. He would come off the Rams bench to take over in the second quarter for quarterback Steve Dils and rally the team from a 13-point deficit against the New England Patriots.

Despite the heroics of throwing for three touchdowns, the Rams would lose 30-28. Everett would go on to be the starter every week until 1993, leading the team to three playoff appearances and the 1989 NFC Championship Game.

LA Rams Quarterback Jim Everett Meltdown with Jim Rome

During an interview with Jim Rome, the brash firebrand would bait Everett into a confrontation that Rome now regrets.

It was a night that lives on in infamy for Jim Rome, a lesson in pushing the wrong buttons that will oftentimes lead to confrontation and less than admirable outcomes. Rome was one of the pioneers of trash-talking sports talking heads. They chewed on sports stories and gave controversial takes on what was happening in the pro sports world.

"“That was not a good night at the office for me,” said Rome, reflecting on the incident in his sit-down with Le Batard. “When I first broke into the business, late 20s, early 30s, we did stuff like that. We talked a lot of s—. That’s kind of what my brand was. – as quoted by Jesse Pantuosco of Audacy.com"

In 2020, Everett would reference the event via his Twitter feed. In fact, he still will laugh about it to this day.

The NFL career of Jim Everett would come to a close in 1997 as a member of the San Diego Chargers. He would make the Pro Bowl in 1990 and lead the league in touchdowns in 1998 and 1999. He is the All-Time Rams Franchise Career passing leader with 23,578 yards and is second with 142 touchdown passes. Most of all, Jim Everett is a quality person.