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Odell Beckham Trade to the Rams: Counting the Ways The Rumored Blockbuster Could Make Sense
The Rams have the cap space and the guts to take on the superstar wideout, while the Giants have a need for high draft picks and a clean slate
Mailbag includes discussion on the new helmet-lowering rule, questions about the catch rule, a clarification about Wayne Huizenga and more
By PETER KING March 28, 2018
ORLANDO — There can’t be another mega-trade in the NFL this off-season, can there? There can if the Giants get pushed too far by Odell Beckham Jr., and if the Rams decide to pull out every stop to win a Super Bowl in 2018 or 2019.
I’m not predicting a trade of Beckham to the Rams. (But if you listen to The MMQB Podcast With Peter King this week, you’ll hear that one of my guests, Peter Schrager of FOX and Good Morning Football, is.) I am saying that, except for the objections of Giants coach Pat Shurmur—who told me definitively Tuesday at the annual NFL owners meetings he wants to coach Beckham—a trade of the superstar wideout to the Rams makes an awful lot of sense.
I can also tell you there has been discussion of a Beckham deal between the Giants and Rams, though it’s not serious yet. There are those within the league who know Rams or Giants people who believe strongly that this is more than a pipe dream, and that it could happen. NFL Network reported this week that Beckham, entering his fifth NFL season, wants a new contract now or he won’t report for offseason work or for the season. He’s due to make $8.46 million in the last year of his rookie deal.
Let’s count the ways it makes sense:
• Rams GM Les Snead told me Tuesday the next two years are when the team can fit a mega-salary or two into its salary cap. Quarterback Jared Goff is due to make $7.6 million and $8.9 million in years three and four of his rookie contract, both of which will be 5 percent or less of the Rams’ cap each year. That’s great for quarterback cost control. While the quarterback is making reasonable money, Los Angeles could load up in 2018 and ‘19 by front-loading mega-deals with defensive tackle Aaron Daniel and/or an expensive important like Beckham. Both would be in the $20-million-per-year average.
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• The Rams have guts. Snead never met a trade he didn’t like. Already this off-season, he’s acquired a new cornerback group, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters, and an impact defensive tackle to play alongside Donald, Ndamukong Suh. With the loss of burner wideout Sammy Watkins in free agency, there is no question coach Sean McVay would love to add Beckham to the mix.
• Regarding the Beckham combustibility: I am told McVay would have no problem working with Beckham and does not fear the off-field distractions he brings. That stuff has been wearisome (that’s putting it mildly) to Giants brass.
• Regarding the Dream Team comparisons: They’re real, and they’re spectacular, and the Rams seem willing to take on one more potential distraction. The Eagles brought in a slew of expensive and famous free agents in 2011, backup quarterback Vince Young dubbed it the “Dream Team,” and this collection of talent stumbled to an 8-8 record. Snead told me he’s not afraid of a starry team, and he thinks McVay can handle it.
• Beckham is a great player who may not fit the Giants’ conservative organization. Does a team trying to build a long-term team want to risk making its centerpiece a player who angers ownership with his immaturity?
• Schrager estimate a fair-value deal would be Beckham for two first-round picks from the Rams. Sounds heavy on the surface, but is it really? The Rams pick 23rd in this year’s first round, and it’s likely to think they’ll be in the same range of the bottom third of the draft next year too. Would the 23rd pick in 2018 and, say, the 27th pick in 2019 be reasonable for the Rams to pay and for the Giants to receive? Seems fair from both ends. If the Rams could trade two low ones and get a generational talent, that’s fair—assuming Beckham’s health and off-field behavior stay in line. If the Giants could have two ones in each of the next two drafts, GM Dave Gettleman could defend that as being the nucleus of the Giants’ next generation.
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I don’t know if the Giants would accept two first-round picks for Beckham, though I bet they would. I don’t know if the Rams would offer two ones for Beckham, though I bet they would.
Stay tuned. The most interesting off-season in years, decades maybe, could have one final pre-draft bombshell.
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