WR's disappearing act is filling Rams front office with buyer's remorse

When the Los Angeles Rams extended wide receiver Tutu Atwell on a one-year $10 million contract, something felt amiss. The contract did not match his workload, and his workload did not match his productivity.

The contract screamed contributor, but a glance over his history with the team proved that the offense was reluctant to afford him opportunities and quick to send him back to the bench.

Getting paid in the NFL is not the end of controversy in the NFL. For many players, it's just the start of the second-guessing and hand-wringing of unmet expectations. For Tutu Atwell, getting paid set the bar for his performance much higher. So far, he has not come close to performing to the level of his new contract. That's a problem.

Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon has named the most disappointing player on every NFL team, and it comes as no surprise to find the former Louisville Cardinals wide receiver on the list as the Rams' most disappointing player. That's a problem, not just for the player, but for the team.

Sean McVay promised 2025 would be different for Tutu Atwell

It's tough to blame a player who has done everything asked of him. And when the extension was offered, who would have been foolish enough to turn it down? After all, $10 milion for nine targets and four receptions after seven games are great wages.

It was head coach Sean McVay who promised that Atwell would have a larger role in the offense this season. So far, he is averaging just over one target per game. If that pace continues all season long, the team will be paying its speedy wide receiver over $450,000 per target. If you convert that to receptions, it's a cool million per catch.

Something is most definitely amiss.

The simple answer is to target Atwell more often. But it's not that simple. With four tight ends, three running backs, and six wide receivers all vying for the football, getting one player more active means forcing another player to be less active

Who would you sacrifice in this offense to give Atwell more targets? Of course, a roundabout way of doing that is to control the clock, move the chains, and keep the offense on the football field longer. But Atwell's superpower is his speed and those deep passes, which have the opposite effect of what the offense needs to do to create more opportunities for players.

The NFL trade deadline is looming. With the offense content to afford their $10 million receiver only a cameo role before the BYE, keep Tutu Atwell on your radar as a potential trade casualty. This offense cannot find targets for him despite the rhetoric to the contrary. Perhaps the ultimate solution is trading him to a team that can.

As always, thanks for reading.