Why the LA Rams could be active at the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline

Remodel: Rams trade away All-Pro DT Aaron Donald

But what must the LA Rams be prepared to do if the team fails to improve in 2023? Despite the no-trade clause, a Rams team that stands at one win at the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline must face the reality that success won't happen as quickly as hoped for this season. The 'which teams would you like to play for?' question must be on the table for Rams veteran Aaron Donald to allow him to compete for another SB ring this season.

This is probably the most divisive topic amongst LA Rams fans. Some fans say trade him while they can and others say that the team should and would never trade him. To the fans who say Donald will never be traded, I ask you this...is that matter truly up to Rams GM Les Snead?

While the Rams GM is known for making big splashes via trade and that includes trading players away, those personnel transactions were simply the downstream result of decisions that occured far upstream. Even in the 2023 off-season, the Rams' decision to shed veterans in favor of youth was not just a Snead matter. It was the action taken by the entire LA Rams organization that strategically accepted a tactical retreat for the present.

AD deserves to compete in another SB

While you can point to that as further indication that Snead is not afraid to trade big-name players, such as veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey, it was not a trade that occured in a vacuum. Additional veterans traded by Snead include DT Michael Brockers (contract), QB Jared Goff (McVay), WR Brandin Cooks (injury), DB Aqib Talib (injury), DB Marcus Peters (bad fit), and DE Robert Quinn (contract).

As sad as it would be to see Aaron Donald don another NFL team's uniform, he most certainly would bring in significant compensation to assist with Snead's remodel philosophy. Putting Donald on the NFL trade block to even a few select teams would certainly trigger a bidding war in which the Rams could choose from a plethora of healthy offers. That would allow the Rams to send Donald to a team he would be happy to play for. I would be very surprised if Donald nets fewer than 3-4 total draft picks to include at minimum one first-rounder and at most two first-round picks.