6 takeaways from Les Snead's combine press conference: Donald and Stafford deals, free agency expectations

[theramswire.usatoday.com] 6 takeaways from Les Snead's combine press conference: Donald and Stafford deals, free agency expectations


Cameron DaSilva
March 2, 2022 2:06 pm PT
Les Snead isn’t in Indianapolis for the NFL combine this week, but he still met with reporters via Zoom on Wednesday to discuss the current state of the Los Angeles Rams. He touched on contract updates for Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald, shared his expectations for the Rams’ pending free agents and says he has a good feel for what Andrew Whitworth’s retirement decision will be.

Here are six takeaways from his (virtual) combine press conference.

1
Rams are talking with Aaron Donald about a new deal
Donald is under contract through the 2024 season and the Rams have no plans to move on from him before that expires. In fact, would like to do just the opposite: extend him. Snead told reporters that the Rams are talking with Donald’s representatives about a new contract, despite him having three years left on his current deal.

The Rams have no concerns about Donald retiring, which there was some speculation about after the Super Bowl, and one way to ensure he comes back is by extending his contract.


2
Matthew Stafford extension will get done
Stafford’s contract should be a bit more pressing than Donald’s considering he only has one year left on his deal. But fear not: The Rams are also working on a new contract with their Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Snead said he expects Stafford’s extension to get done before the final year of his contract, which is this season. So don’t think for a second that the Rams are going to let their franchise quarterback leave after just two seasons in Los Angeles. They want to keep him long-term (shocker!).



3
Rams would like to re-sign Odell Beckham Jr. but knee injury is a factor
Beckham suffered a devastating knee injury in the Rams’ Super Bowl win, which is likely to cost him games in 2022. It’s a tough pill to swallow after Beckham was playing so well in Los Angeles, seemingly putting himself back in the mix for a lucrative long-term deal in free agency this offseason. The Rams want to bring Beckham back this year but Snead acknowledged that the injury will play a factor – and that Beckham could miss the first half of the season.


4
Pending free agents are expected to test the market
The Rams have a long list of players who will become free agents this month, several of whom are starters. That group includes Beckham, Von Miller, Brian Allen, Darious Williams, Austin Corbett, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Joseph Noteboom, among others. The Rams obviously won’t be able to re-sign everyone, but they will prioritize their own free agents over outside ones – which has been the approach they’ve taken in recent years.

Snead expects the Rams’ pending free agents to at least test the market by, as he put it, waiting for the “bell to ring” on March 16.


5
Snead has an idea which way Andrew Whitworth is leaning
Whitworth has been asked countless times over the last few weeks whether he’s going to retire this offseason or return for another year with the Rams. He’s indicated that he’ll be calling it a career but will wait another week or two to make a final decision.

Snead said he has a “pretty good feel” for which way Whitworth is leaning. He didn’t say what Whitworth’s decision will be, but reading the tea leaves, it’s likely that he’ll be retiring from football relatively soon.


6
Sean McVay is “jacked” to be coaching the Rams in 2022
Like Donald, there was speculation about the possibility that McVay might retire after winning the Super Bowl. After getting pursued by TV networks, with Amazon reportedly being willing to offer as much as $100 million for five years, McVay chose to return to the Rams for another year.

And according to Snead, McVay is “jacked” to be back with the Rams, ready to finish what the team started five years ago.