Stefon Diggs trade impact proves Rams GM Les Snead is master of the NFL cap

The LA Rams roster was injured at a record pace in 2022. But that was only the tip of the troubles facing the team during the 2022 NFL season. The team, having just won Super Bowl LVI, ran into a buzzsaw of adversity.

After reaching the pinnacle of the NFL, the Rams coaching staff was picked apart by teams that wanted to cut trimmings from the Rams and graft them into their coaching staff. That left the Rams scrambling to fill coaching roles far too late in the process. The same Rams team entered the 2022 NFL Draft armed with a pellet gun. Because the team has traded for QB Matthew Stafford, RB Kyren Williams, and OLB Von Miller, the team limped into the 2022 NFL draft with their best pick starting as the 104th overall pick of that draft.

Even Von Miller, a veteran who the Rams felt would re-sign with the team with confidence, signed with the Buffalo Bills. That prompted the team's front office to pivot from an elite veteran edge rusher to sign ILB Bobby Wagner and WR Allen Robinson. The Rams finished in 2022 with a record of 5-12.

The tale was one that other GMs pointed to and scoffed at, declaring that they would never let such a catastrophic collapse happen to their team on their watch. One of the most outspoken GMs in 2023 was from Bills' Brandon Beane, who went public in his comments that declared that he wanted to avoid the situation the Los Angeles Rams had in the 2023 offseason.

Oh really? How's that working out for him now?

The Bills are having problems of their own right now and of their own making. Von Miller was forced to renegotiate a very lucrative contract that lured him away from the Rams to free up over $8 million against the Bills' salary cap in 2024. But Miller was not the only player impacted. The Bills also renegotiated the contract of DB Rasul Douglas, as well as released several starting players on the defensive side of the football.

But the carnage did not stop there. WR Stefon Diggs has been adamant about 'wanting out,' and NFL rumors reports appeared instantly to run with a story about a trade by the Bills to part ways with Diggs was imminent. Well, the rumors proved true, and Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans for a Round 2 pick in 2025 that equates to an early Round 3 pick. Plus the Texans will also receive Bills picks in 2025 in Round 5 and 6.

Worst of all, the Buffalo Bills must now eat a lot of dead cap space as well:

I really do not intend to throw shade at the Buffalo Bills or their fans. But it does become a bit fatiguing when the hubris of other team owner and GMs prompts them to make insufferable comments about the Rams roster-building strategy, as though they are immune to the factors of injuries, falling short of expectations, and limited funds as well. The Bills have lost their top two wide receivers, their top pass rusher, and much of their secondary.

It's never a wise decision to cite the problems of another team by an NFL executive. Karma can be both ruthless and unforgiving. Will the Bills fall to a record of 5-12 in 2024? I don't think so. But their push for a run at the Super Bowl has been pushed back by several years.

In all honesty, I suspect the LA Rams are closer to appearing in a Super Bowl than the Bills now are. So much for 'fiscal responsibility,' eh? Stefon Diggs's trade from the Bills today and the salary cap impact on the Bills proves Rams GM Les Snead remains the undisputed Sheriff of the NFL cap county. I guess that he will remain entrenched there for some time.