Les Snead trades a discussion

[WestCoastRam]

i forget. Did the switch to the 3-4 defense have something to do with that move?

don't think so, maybe, he just had a really meh training camp and we cut him, then just began dominating with jets!

 

[fanotodd]

That's my point.

Maybe Jones is severely compromised, and will be unable to play much; and/or will be far less effective when he does play. However, he managed to start 15 games last year and played in over 90% of the defensive snaps.

It's not like the Rams up-graded at ILB. The three veterans on the roster were there last season .... playing BEHIND Jones. In fact, Jones had more defensive snaps last season than Roseboom, Reeder and Hummel combined. Jones was far better just eight months ago. Has that changed so quickly?

Maybe Speights will be terrific but he's still a first-year undrafted free agent that played well in two pre-season games against 2nd and 3rd teamers.

I'm hoping for the best but this one is tough to understand.

I hear ya. This one caught me off guard, especially the quick resolution once the situation hit the media/ROD. It’s appalling that we aren’t kept in the loop more!

I was about to post on another thread that I would not be surprised if jones was not re-upped after the season when this story broke. No really, I swear; but trading him now seemed crazy.
Something happened that necessitated this move. I don’t think we’ll ever know until somebody talks. We’re just not getting enough information to have a fair and comprehensive discussion. If this was a locker room decision, then it makes a statement. If it was based on private discussions, it says something else and that can be tricky in the locker room.

…but I don’t believe jones was coming back in 2025. Too much $$ and knee issues. Now, I’m even more concerned about the defense beyond the DL/Edge. Speights beat up 2nd and 3rd stringers while playing in preseason games—especially the last one. If he had been THAT good, I don’t think we would have seen him play so much.

Somebody is gonna get an opportunity. May he rise to the occasion.

 

[PARAM]

Cooks seems like the Rams tried to get ahead of concussions being a problem (and were probably right to do it given how much an issue they were that year) but I would say it was a mistake to trade him. He had some very good years afterwards where he was the only passing threat so defenses could focus on stopping him.

Had a good year last year too.

The 20th pick overall in 2014, he's been traded 4 times. Why? He's had six 1,000 yard seasons with 4 teams.

Traded with a 4th for a 1st and 3rd
Traded with a 4th for a 1st and 6th (to the Rams)
Traded with a 4th for a 2nd (from the Rams)
Traded for a 5th and 6th.

 

[Ramstien]

Bottom line here is don't ever play poker with Les.

 

[So Ram]

So I asked the question in the EJ trade topic and really only got 1 person that I saw to respond sorry if I missed your response if so post here. Snead takes a lot of grief from fans for in their opinion his lack of a quality return for players we trade away. I think my biggest issue with this is I can't think of any players we traded away that legit were good after we traded them. He seems to have a pretty good record of trading away guys who turned out to be duds. Goff being the exception, even though he's one of the most disliked Rams in the last 20 years and there are people who still will not give him any credit. Add to that it's hard for me to accept anybody saying that trade didn't work out for us. And this is coming from me one of the most vocal after the trade that was against it.

So I'm looking for is give me a player that we traded away that went on to enjoy success for his new team. One thing to consider is the Rams and McVay are for some guys like Ramsey willing to take a little less to facilitate a move to a team the player wants. Not exactly cutthroat best business practice but it's one of the things that make him the players coach and winner IMO that he is. So hit me with your best ones.

The best that I can come up with myself is Robert Woods. Not Bobby Trees was coming off an ACL injury at 30 years old and had IIRC a $10 million cap hit that year. The part of me that doesn't want to consider him is he really since then hasn't done anything close to what he did for the Rams. 2022 for the Titans 53 receptions for 527 yards and 2 TD. And 2023 40 receptions for 426 yards and 1 TD. That was one season for the Rams and it took him 2 seasons to do it.

So who you got? And just telling me "We should have got more" isn't going to cut it! Don't care what you got in your Madden career mode or what you did in your mock off season. Who did we get rid of that actually did anything good. My contention in all this is we are selling players that Rams fans think more highly of than the NFL does since they don't amount to much at all after they leave LA. Prime example in my mind is Trumaine Johnson, and that may have been one of the best trade returns But Tru was garbage after leaving the Rams.

I guess to expand that would be under Les Snead ?? Robert Quinn wasn’t worth his money & when Floyd resigned with The Rams there was talk about Da Bears having the better player.

Then The Rams won The Superbowl with Floyd !! That was BTW - under Sean Mcvay.I went to training camp & watch Quinn & BIG Whitorth go at it. I think Sean Mcvay let Quinn go to watch is sister run in the Olympics.That last part might have been Fisher though. Mark Barron trade to Baltimore worked well for The Rams.The Rams & signing Eric Weddle was like a trade in one sense.GOSH - can RAM FANS thank Rric Weedle enough. Got to LOVE Raheem for making the phone call & then in the Superbowl wearing the Green Dot.Playing with the injury he did was almost Ronnie Lott like lossing part of a finger.The Old Rocky - cut me.

The Goff trade ?? Never liked trading the picks with Nick Foles & Case Kennan already under contract.I add those picks to the trade.

The WR - Cooks who The Rams paid a high price for him to let him go cheap,but that’s the opposite.He never did much with Houston.
Only 1110 & around 1,000 6 TD’s each season afterwards.

Brandin Cooks Career Stats | NFL.com

Reynolds did ok with Goff,but was a FA -Van Jefferson never lived up to anything.

 

[So Ram]

Bottom line here is don't ever play poker with Les.

Yeah - sure . You can call his bluff.
He hasn’t been dealt a lot of full decks,but he TRADES his Cards away.

 

[Ramhusker]

I ALWAYS feel we get short changed in trades but that is always based off of feelings, not facts. The EJ trade this year still doesn't feel right to me and I still don't understand it but I don't have all of the facts nor know the long term thinking. At the end of the day, this Ram's regime has only had one losing season and it was a lot like this one, injuries on top of injuries, but I still have faith that this will not be a losing season. GO RAMS!

 

[Merlin]

Gotta agree with OS that Les' track record is exemplary in player castoffs. And I think in part this demonstrates how damn good he and McVay are as a duo. You have a staff that gets the most from players, so when they finally give up on a dude there is generally a good reason and it plays out that way at a very high rate.

By the way the league knows this too. Which is what hurt us (it is a double edged sword) when trading Goff. It hurt his value to some extent because teams know the Rams are very strong evaluators of their talent.

Also I think this plays into the FA additions they have made over the years as a duo. Where the expertise you have from the staff and front office being on one sheet of music does not translate to that higher hit percentage because you are bringing in guys you don't know so intimately. I think most of their FAs have been guys I say "ok yeah he looks like a great fit" but they have missed at a much higher rate. And this past offseason's FAs look terrible, though it is early granted.

Looking at drafts they really made big strides the past two years, showing an ability to hit on players at a very high rate. I suspect that this has somewhat to do with them being more careful to get their targeted selections. But either way it is impressive.

Lastly Jones was obviously (to my eye at least) a business decision. Rams won't say what happened, but clearly something screwy was going on whether it was the knee being very serious or the player pretending it was, or him getting into it with the staff or rubbing them the wrong way. So it wasn't optimum for this defense this season, however given his knee issue going way back, his lack of speed in general, and projecting that range will hurt him the rest of his career... It makes sense to me. I just wish they'd quit acting like a backup is a starter and let Speights compete for snaps.

 

[snackdaddy]

Until they show they're capable of going on a run I'd say do not trade future assets. Its quite possible this will be a lost season. Don't wanna trade away picks that could help down the road in a season they aren't going anywhere.

 

[AppeasFBlGods]

The raiders have 1 legit NFL starter at RB/we/te and they aren't using any extra resources on bowers

 

[PhillyRam]

Until they show they're capable of going on a run I'd say do not trade future assets. Its quite possible this will be a lost season. Don't wanna trade away picks that could help down the road in a season they aren't going anywhere.

Yeah, we could still crash and burn this year.

I want that top 10 pick if that happens. Go get Cam Ward if things fall apart, and you get in that top 5.

Even if Stafford is back, he could sit on the bench for a year. I also like Drew Allar from Penn State... 6-5 245...big arm. Another good prospect that could sit 2 years if needed.

 

[Lunchbox]

In the case of EJ, it feels like a starting MLB who is a defensive captain and expected to be a team leader is worth more than a 5th round pick, two years out. Especially if you've also included a pick of your own to go with.

Maybe the actual 'data' says no, but it sure doesn't feel like fair value for the player.

That's my point.

Maybe Jones is severely compromised, and will be unable to play much; and/or will be far less effective when he does play. However, he managed to start 15 games last year and played in over 90% of the defensive snaps.

It's not like the Rams up-graded at ILB. The three veterans on the roster were there last season .... playing BEHIND Jones. In fact, Jones had more defensive snaps last season than Roseboom, Reeder and Hummel combined. Jones was far better just eight months ago. Has that changed so quickly?

Maybe Speights will be terrific but he's still a first-year undrafted free agent that played well in two pre-season games against 2nd and 3rd teamers.

I'm hoping for the best but this one is tough to understand.

Not sure I understand questioning the Jones trade when he reneged on an agreement to play this season and negotiate a new contract afterward.

He and his agents obviously felt they had leverage with the start of the season closing in and thought they could get the Rams to renegotiate to keep from losing him.

If I'm the Rams, I let him walk or trade him for whatever I can get and send a message to future players and agents that they will not be played.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Not sure I understand questioning the Jones trade when he reneged on an agreement to play this season and negotiate a new contract afterward.

Where did you see this reported because I have not seen or read ANY reliable source report such?

That is out of left field.

 

[Lunchbox]

Where did you see this reported because I have not seen or read ANY reliable source report such?

That is out of left field.

That will take some research, but I'll try to find it.

 

[Lunchbox]

Pretty sure I saw it in a post on this forum but after researching I am unable to find a reference to it here or on the web. That is what drinking and posting from memory will get you.
Closest I could come was a quote from Snead that resources were allocated to acquiring players from outside the organization and extending players on the team would wait until after the season.
In my defense, Jones deleted some posts he made during the negotiation process and I am not willing to spend more than an hour finding confirmation for my possibly inebriated post.

Cheers!

 

[Allen2McVay]

Pretty sure I saw it in a post on this forum but after researching I am unable to find a reference to it here or on the web. That is what drinking and posting from memory will get you.
Closest I could come was a quote from Snead that resources were allocated to acquiring players from outside the organization and extending players on the team would wait until after the season.
In my defense, Jones deleted some posts he made during the negotiation process and I am not willing to spend more than an hour finding confirmation for my possibly inebriated post.

Cheers!

That's OK. Nice of you to take some time to try and find a source.

That aside, I really don't think you should assume Ernest Jones reneged on any verbal agreement because that kind of thing doesn't really happen.

 

[Lunchbox]

It made sense to me at the time because it is something an agent would do to take maximum advantage of their leverage given the impending start of the season.

That said, without specifying a source I was asking to be second-guessed.

One of the things I love about this forum. BS doesn't fly.

 

[dieterbrock]

That's OK. Nice of you to take some time to try and find a source.

That aside, I really don't think you should assume Ernest Jones reneged on any verbal agreement because that kind of thing doesn't really happen.

Honestly, I think its confusing Jones with Hasaan Reddick. Reddick agreed to play this season for the Jerkoff Jets and then reneged on it. Was a huge controversy as camps came to a close, and at the time Jones got mysteriously traded.
I havent seen anything that implied in any way that Jones was any kind of a distraction and that includes McVay himself who made it clear it wasnt the case

 

[Allen2McVay]

Honestly, I think he's confusing Jones with Hasaan Reddick. Reddick agreed to play this season for the Jerkoff Jets and then reneged on it. Was a huge controversy as camps came to a close, and at the time Jones got mysteriously traded.

OK ... that makes sense

 

[Lunchbox]

Honestly, I think its confusing Jones with Hasaan Reddick. Reddick agreed to play this season for the Jerkoff Jets and then reneged on it. Was a huge controversy as camps came to a close, and at the time Jones got mysteriously traded.
I havent seen anything that implied in any way that Jones was any kind of a distraction and that includes McVay himself who made it clear it wasnt the case

My post was poorly stated. No confusion between Jones and Reddick.
A more accurate way of putting it would have been:
Jones team and the Rams agreed to table contract discussions until after the season as they weren’t progressing.
I do not assume this, I read it somewhere but could not locate the source.
Have to believe Jones team felt a greater sense of urgency to get an extension done than the Rams.
Never said anything about Jones being anything but professional throughout the process.
I was sorry to see him go but it appears the Rams weren’t going to meet his price.