Rams gave up a lot more to get Goff...

They gave up really high #1's and #2's... and then probably another, albeit lower #1, to trade him.


[theramswire.usatoday.com]



ARTICLE
No team in recent memory has valued first-round picks less than the Los Angeles Rams. They’ve made a number of huge trades involving first-rounders since Les Snead took over as general manager, all of which have come in the last five years.

With Matthew Stafford being acquired for two first-round picks, we decided to look back at all the trades the Rams have made involving top-32 selections since 2016 – which is when Jared Goff was drafted by Los Angeles.

The list is predictably long, and unless the Rams make a trade to acquire a first-round pick, they won’t make a selection in Round 1 until 2024. That’s seven years in a row without picking in the first round, a stretch only matched twice before in NFL history.

So let’s take a look at where all those first-rounders have gone and what the Rams netted from them.

Rams trade up for Jared Goff in 2016

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Rams trade: 2016 1st-round pick, two 2016 2nd-round picks, 2016 3rd-round pick, 2017 1st-round pick, 2017 3rd-round pick

Titans trade: No. 1 overall pick in 2016, 4th-round pick (2016), 6th-round pick (2016)

This was the first of Snead’s major moves in Los Angeles. He and the Rams traded up from No. 15 overall to the first pick in the draft, one of the biggest jumps to No. 1 in NFL history.

They gave up a massive haul to make it happen, giving the Titans an extra first-round pick, two second-rounders and two third-rounders. In hindsight, that trade probably didn’t work out, but Goff did reach the Super Bowl, so he did have some success.


Rams trade for Brandin Cooks in 2018

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rams trade: 2018 1st-round pick and 2018 6th-round pick

Patriots trade: Brandin Cooks and 2018 4th-round pick

Just before the 2018 NFL draft, the Rams struck a deal with the Patriots to acquire Cooks, who had just been traded by the Saints for a first-round pick one year prior.

Cooks quickly signed a five-year, $80 million extension with the Rams after the trade was made, which proved to be a mistake as he carried a $21.8 million dead cap hit in 2020 after Los Angeles traded him to the Texans last offseason.

Rams trade out of first round in 2019


Rams trade: No. 31 overall, No. 203 overall

Falcons trade: No. 45 overall, No. 79 overall

This was by no means a blockbuster like the other trades on this list, but it was once again an example of the Rams devaluing first-round picks. Rather than standing pat and drafting at No. 31 overall and getting the added benefit of the fifth-year option, they traded out of the first round.

They then traded down twice again after this deal with the Falcons before taking Taylor Rapp 61st overall in the second round.

Rams trade for Jalen Ramsey in 2020

Rams trade: 2020 1st-round pick, 2021 1st-round pick, 2021 4th-round pick

Jaguars trade: Jalen Ramsey

Unlike the other trades on this list, this one was in-season. Hoping to push themselves over the top in the middle of the 2019 season, the Rams struck a deal with the Jaguars to acquire Ramsey in October, just before the trade deadline.

The Rams ultimately didn’t make the playoffs after landing Ramsey, but they did sign him to a five-year, $100 million deal last offseason. And that has paid immediate dividends, with Ramsey earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in 2020 as a member of the NFL’s top-ranked defense.

Rams trade for Matthew Stafford in 2021

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Rams trade: 2022 1st-round pick, 2023 1st-round pick, 2021 3rd-round pick and Jared Goff

Lions trade: Matthew Stafford

Even as big as these past deals were, you could argue none were larger than the trade for Stafford that the Rams agreed to on Saturday. Not only did they give up two first-round picks and a third-rounder, but they traded Goff and ate $22.2 million in dead money along with him.

If Stafford leads the Rams to the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl, it will all be worth it. But if he struggles in Los Angeles and continues to come up short of winning playoff games, it could crush the Rams’ chances to win years down the line.


Recap

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

2016: Traded for Goff

2017: Traded for Goff

2018: Traded for Cooks

2019: Traded out of 1st round (31st overall)

2020: Traded for Ramsey

2021: Traded for Ramsey

2022: Traded for Stafford

2023: Traded for Stafford