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ESPN Trade Scenario for the Rams. Thots?
| April 06, 2026 07:47AM | Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 5,822 Status: HOF Inductee |
13. Los Angeles Rams (via ATL)
Rams get: 1-18, 3-97, QB J.J. McCarthy
Vikings get: 1-13
We know general manager Les Snead doesn't value picks in the bottom quarter of the first round, so the Rams aren't likely to move down very far if they do trade down here. And while Snead is obviously going to want to use his remaining first-round pick to address the 2026 roster, there is also an argument to be made for trying to land his team's quarterback of the future. Stafford is 38 years old. He won league MVP last season, but with any quarterback approaching 40, it's smart to have a backup plan in place.
A reunion with Jimmy Garoppolo still makes sense for all parties involved, but what if the Rams do want to find a younger option? Stetson Bennett IV is on the roster, but the 2023 fourth-round pick has yet to play a single pro snap and will be a free agent after the season. There hasn't been much evidence that the Rams see him as part of their long-term future under center.
Is McCarthy a viable solution? The results we've seen so far say no. But great coaches also have a habit of revitalizing quarterbacks who didn't look like NFL-caliber starters. Sean McVay turned around Baker Mayfield's career after he had been unceremoniously dumped by the Browns and Panthers. Kyle Shanahan turned Sam Darnold in the right direction and appears to have righted the path for Mac Jones. Andy Reid helped save Nick Foles' career before the backup won a Super Bowl with the Eagles.
Of course, McCarthy was already under one of those highly touted coaches in Kevin O'Connell, who was on McVay's staff in Los Angeles. In addition to the issues McCarthy had as a pure passer during the 2025 season, he missed all of 2024 with a knee injury and was sidelined by multiple injuries in 2025. It might be tough to count on him making it through a full 17-game season, let alone playing well in the process.
At the right price, though, taking a flier on McCarthy would make sense. The Vikings are unlikely to move forward with the 2024 ninth overall pick as their quarterback of the future, having signed Kyler Murray to take over as their starter in 2026 before deciding on McCarthy's fifth-year option after the season. Getting something for the 23-year-old quarterback would make sense if the organization has decided it is going to be heading in a different direction. This move up would get the Vikes ahead of the Bucs and Jets if they want to look toward secondary help in Round 1.
This trade would value McCarthy as being worth the 112th pick in a typical draft by the Johnson chart, a selection in the middle of the fourth round. That feels about right to me. And the Rams would be on the hook for $6.6 million over the next two years, which isn't much for a developmental backup quarterback. Could McCarthy's solid final four games of the 2025 season (admittedly against dismal opposing defenses) portend growth and some future success? The Rams wouldn't be paying much to find out.
I'd be a buyer of that.
Rams get: 1-18, 3-97, QB J.J. McCarthy
Vikings get: 1-13
We know general manager Les Snead doesn't value picks in the bottom quarter of the first round, so the Rams aren't likely to move down very far if they do trade down here. And while Snead is obviously going to want to use his remaining first-round pick to address the 2026 roster, there is also an argument to be made for trying to land his team's quarterback of the future. Stafford is 38 years old. He won league MVP last season, but with any quarterback approaching 40, it's smart to have a backup plan in place.
A reunion with Jimmy Garoppolo still makes sense for all parties involved, but what if the Rams do want to find a younger option? Stetson Bennett IV is on the roster, but the 2023 fourth-round pick has yet to play a single pro snap and will be a free agent after the season. There hasn't been much evidence that the Rams see him as part of their long-term future under center.
Is McCarthy a viable solution? The results we've seen so far say no. But great coaches also have a habit of revitalizing quarterbacks who didn't look like NFL-caliber starters. Sean McVay turned around Baker Mayfield's career after he had been unceremoniously dumped by the Browns and Panthers. Kyle Shanahan turned Sam Darnold in the right direction and appears to have righted the path for Mac Jones. Andy Reid helped save Nick Foles' career before the backup won a Super Bowl with the Eagles.
Of course, McCarthy was already under one of those highly touted coaches in Kevin O'Connell, who was on McVay's staff in Los Angeles. In addition to the issues McCarthy had as a pure passer during the 2025 season, he missed all of 2024 with a knee injury and was sidelined by multiple injuries in 2025. It might be tough to count on him making it through a full 17-game season, let alone playing well in the process.
At the right price, though, taking a flier on McCarthy would make sense. The Vikings are unlikely to move forward with the 2024 ninth overall pick as their quarterback of the future, having signed Kyler Murray to take over as their starter in 2026 before deciding on McCarthy's fifth-year option after the season. Getting something for the 23-year-old quarterback would make sense if the organization has decided it is going to be heading in a different direction. This move up would get the Vikes ahead of the Bucs and Jets if they want to look toward secondary help in Round 1.
This trade would value McCarthy as being worth the 112th pick in a typical draft by the Johnson chart, a selection in the middle of the fourth round. That feels about right to me. And the Rams would be on the hook for $6.6 million over the next two years, which isn't much for a developmental backup quarterback. Could McCarthy's solid final four games of the 2025 season (admittedly against dismal opposing defenses) portend growth and some future success? The Rams wouldn't be paying much to find out.
I'd be a buyer of that.
| Subject | Author | Views | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Shecky | 624 | April 06, 2026 07:47AM |
| den-the-coach | 151 | April 06, 2026 08:30AM |
| PSJRam | 113 | April 06, 2026 11:24AM |
| BigGame81 | 148 | April 06, 2026 08:47AM |
| Ramkind41 | 86 | April 06, 2026 01:41PM |
| merlin | 88 | April 06, 2026 04:38PM |
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This web site is in no way affiliated with the NFL or the Los Angeles Rams.