OBJ trade talk?

Ian Rapoport@RapSheet
The #Giants are listening to trade calls/talks for Odell Beckham Jr and there have been several, I’m told. @wyche89 says the #Rams No. 23 pick is available. … what’s not clear is whether NY actually wants to trade him. Definitely open to listening, tho

Odell Beckham Jr. to the Rams? Ten things to consider

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/38196/10-steps-leading-towards-odell-beckham-jr-playing-for-the-rams

LOS ANGELES — There’s no way, right? It was absurd that the Los Angeles Rams traded for two All-Pro corners and flat-out bonkers that they added one of the game’s best interior linemen to a defense that possesses the game’s best interior lineman. But now the Rams have been linked to New York Giants superstar Odell Beckham Jr., one of the game’s best wide receivers at only 25 years old. And here’s the crazy part: Nobody’s really ruling them out. Suddenly the Rams have become the NFL’s premier landing spot, capable of adding anyone at any time. But acquiring Beckham won’t be easy. Below, we sorted through the 10 things to consider, ranging from what has been established to what remains murky.

What we know for sure …

1. The Rams get L.A. They understand that you need to score a lot of points, that you need to be exciting, that you need to employ stars and that you need to take some serious risks to thrive in this market. So they moved up 14 spots to draft their potential franchise quarterback, Jared Goff, No. 1 overall. They took a shot on a 30-year-old, offense-minded head coach in Sean McVay. They traded for Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, then signed Ndamukong Suh in the same offseason. And they’re building the biggest, baddest stadium on the planet, one that could cost close to $5 billion when you factor all of the surrounding land.

2. They miss Sammy Watkins. McVay spoke longingly about Watkins while addressing the media from the owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday. It has been more than two weeks since Watkins signed a lucrative contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Rams still aren’t quite sure how to replace him. McVay has talked about doing it “by committee,” which would mean more multiple-tight-end sets, a bigger role for Josh Reynolds and, perhaps, a little bit of Tavon Austin. Still, there’s no clear answer. Watkins finished with only 593 receiving yards, but McVay truly valued what his separation skills created for his offense. It’s something he can’t really duplicate in-house.

3. They like making trades for first-round picks at the end of their rookie contracts. They did it with Watkins last August, and they did it with Peters this past February. The Rams have carved out a little niche for themselves here, pouncing when teams decide to part with elite players they aren’t willing to sign long term. It provides them with an immediate jolt of impact talent at a reasonable price, with the potential to at the very least secure a compensatory pick the following April. Beckham is in the exact same situation, owed less than $9 million in the final season of his rookie deal.

4. They aren’t afraid to take on any character concerns. I mean, look at what they’ve done this offseason. Talib once yanked someone’s chain, Peters once chucked a penalty flag into the stands and Suh has habitually stepped on people. Literally. Beckham brawls with goal posts, punches walls, fights with Josh Norman, and on a more serious note, recently had a suspicious video surface. But he also works really hard and is really, really good at his job, just like Talib, Peters and Suh. The Rams are supremely confident in the culture that has already been established by McVay. Beckham won’t change that mindset.

The Rams have a need at receiver after losing Sammy Watkins. Odell Beckham Jr. would be an upgrade. William Hauser/USA TODAY Sports
What we pretty much know …

5. The Rams are interested in acquiring Beckham. And really, this whole thing blows up without it. It all began with a New York Daily News report from Monday that stated the Rams “already have talked with the Giants about possibly trading” for Beckham. The Rams themselves have not refuted that report. In fact, McVay almost embraced the questions Tuesday. “We can’t talk about anybody that’s under contract with any other team, but I think, if there’s one thing you can appreciate about what we’ve done this offseason, there’s no trade we wouldn’t explore or look into if we feel like it can upgrade us as a team.” OK, that’s basically a non-answer. But the Rams are indeed interested. To what degree is hard to pinpoint. At this moment, however, it seems as if they’re merely doing their due diligence.

What we probably know …

6. The Rams would be among the Super Bowl favorites with Beckham. Their odds to win it all would actually go from 12-1 to 10-1 if they were to acquire him. (They began last season at 100-1, if you want another reminder for just how far they have come.) The Rams might possess the game’s best special-teams unit and have now built arguably the game’s best defense, with Suh, Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers up front, and Talib, Peters, Lamarcus Joyner, John Johnson and Nickell Robey-Coleman behind them. On offense, Beckham, Goff and Todd Gurley would come close to rivaling the Pittsburgh Steelers’ trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown — and the Rams might have better players around them.

7. It’s going to take at least this year’s first-round pick to land Beckham. It took a second-round pick to pry Watkins away from the Buffalo Bills last summer, and Beckham is better. Perhaps significantly better. Some reports have stated the asking price would start with a first-round pick and go from there, the latter depending on just how high the demand becomes. It might take two first-round picks, perhaps some veteran players if the Giants cling to the belief that they can win now. The Rams have the No. 23 overall pick in this year’s draft — one they would ideally use to address their need at edge rusher — but then they don’t pick again until Round 3.

What we don’t know much about …

8. What the Rams’ competition would look like. Over the past few days, the Giants appeared to signal to teams that they are open for business when it comes to Beckham. It doesn’t mean they want to trade him; but it does mean they’ll get a sense for his market, which will probably influence their decision. Players this good and this young hardly ever become available, which is why you see lesser players sign such lucrative contracts on the free-agent market. The Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals all left the first wave of free agency with a major need at receiver. Others could probably factor in here, too.

9. Whether the Giants will actually trade Beckham. This, of course, is the key question. And nobody seems to really know for sure. Here’s what ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan wrote recently with regard to whether Beckham would still be with the team this coming season: The answer probably is yes. Nothing is guaranteed, but the odds favor Beckham being with the Giants this year and beyond. Many things would have to fall into place quickly in order for Beckham to be jettisoned from the team that drafted him 12th overall in 2014 by the time Week 1 rolls around in September. Any deal would almost certainly have to be made before next month’s draft because it would have to include some valuable draft picks. Possible, but not likely.

10. How it can work for the Rams financially. This might be the trickiest part. It’s not so much about fitting Beckham into this year’s salary cap; there are a multitude of creative ways to free up enough money so that Beckham fits and the Rams still have enough in reserve to absorb Donald’s potential extension. I’m wondering about Beckham’s long-term fit. The Rams aren’t going to give up so much for Beckham without knowing they can sign him to an extension, which would of course require an inordinate sum. But Donald, Gurley and Goff are all one year apart,and the Rams plan to keep them all. Long term, it’s already going to be very tough to sign all three to extensions and still put enough pieces around them to win consistently. Beckham, too? And Peters?

Well, consider this: OverTheCap.com projects the Rams with $94.5 million in cap space in 2019, second most in the NFL. In 2020, it’s $159.3 million, more than anybody else.

wv wrote:

This has been the strangest off-season since….?

w
v

I don’t like the OBJ trade idea.

In terms of the off-season, my bet is they’re like this every year from now on. Go aggressively after mercs they can use for a year or 2.