Report: Rams offered pair of picks for Khalil Mack, planned to trade him after 1 season
There may be no stronger evidence that this is an all-in season for the Los Angeles Rams than their reported offer to the Oakland Raiders for Khalil Mack.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Rams offered the Raiders a first- and third-round pick for the now Chicago Bears pass rusher with the intention of trading him after the season.
Report: Rams wanted Khalil Mack for just 1 year
With Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, the Rams already have the makeup of one of the NFL’s best pass rushes. The Rams signed Suh to a one-year, $14 million deal in the offseason and appear to have taken the same approach in trying to acquire Mack short-term.
Schefter reports that the Rams intended to give Mack a raise this season, which may or may not have satiated Mack, whose holdout for a long-term deal led to his being on the market in the first place. Schefter did not report what the terms of the planned raise would look like.
Rams playing high-stakes, high-risk game
If they indeed intended to trade him, the report implies that the Rams were open to signing him to a long-term deal, as he was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2018 season.
The report states that the Rams would have hoped to recoup most of what they gave up in dealing for Mack in a trade down the line, which hammers home the high-risk, high-stakes game the Rams are playing as they ready to move into their yet-to-be built home in Inglewood. None of those reported plans comes with a guarantee.
Winning Super Bowls is good business in L.A.
Owner Stan Kroenke, a shrewd businessman who moved the team from St. Louis to Los Angeles, is reportedly investing $1.6 billion of his own money in the team’s new stadium on the west side of Los Angeles.
He apparently sees value in moving into that new stadium, now scheduled for 2020, with a fresh Vince Lombardi trophy and Super Bowl banner to hang. Los Angeles is a fickle sports market. Supporting losers in not in the city’s DNA.
Rams contenders with or without Mack
The Rams have made significant moves on the offensive side of the ball as well, signing running back Todd Gurley to a record extension and trading for wide receiver Brandin Cooks to ensure that young quarterback Jared Goff is surrounded by weapons.
Add new cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib to the mix, and the Rams completed one of the most aggressive offseasons the NFL has ever seen.
The Rams’ quest for Khalil ultimately fell through. But make no mistake. There is only one intended outcome this season.
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