Les Snead is following a familiar template to reconstruct Rams roster

The formula for winning in the NFL is constantly changing. One team stumbles onto success, then other teams scramble to counter it. A new winner emerges. Their opponents pivot.

In that context, Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead is a master scientist. He inched oh-so-close to success in 2018, when the Rams fell in the finale to Tom Brady's Patriots. Three years later, he got back and won. In 2026, he is concocting another Super Bowl run.

The Rams' secret spices of success are, really, built on simple components. The 'secret' is in accumulating a combination few teams can claim. L.A. already had an elite quarterback, a top-tier receiver duo, and a high-powered offensive line.

Then Snead added the Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, a shutdown corner, Trent McDuffie, and stabilized the rest of the secondary by signing Jaylen Watson and inking extensions for safeties Quentin Lake and Kam Curl. It all feels very familiar.

Rams are paying present players with future dollars once again

After a fruitless 2022 season, the Rams purged the roster of high-paying veteran contracts. They structured the team around three remaining pillars: defensive tackle Aaron Donald, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, and quarterback Matthew Stafford. The team whittled down its core group of veteran contributors.

Snead filled out his crew with a busload of rookies who arrived at low cost and no NFL experience. The 2023 draft class burst onto the scene and made an immediate impact. At the same time, the team dug out from expensive contracts that paid past players with future dollars.

And here we go again.

Most notably, Stafford's contract ends in 2027, but cap hits continue through 2031. Myles Garrett is under contract through 2030. But once again, cap hits continue through 2034. McDuffie's record extension kicks in next year.

Present day players are getting paid with future dollars.

Snead is not alone in leveraging these accounting maneuvers. Other teams do, too. But none have mastered the art like Snead. And it's this trick that makes the Rams' all-in approach possible.

At some point, the bill will come due. L.A. paid for a lavish 2021 roster with a miserable 2022 and a disciplined 2023 offseason. A similar pattern likely lays in wait for this iteration of the roster.

Los Angeles has committed its salary cap, draft picks, and roster slots to focus on winning in 2026. Whether or not the Horns hoist the Lombardi Trophy at season's end, they will have a balance to pay down the road.

When that happens, the Rams will welcome in another wave of rookies and young players eager to make their mark. The cycle continues. Deja vu.

As always, thanks for reading.

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