{"id":849759,"date":"2026-04-02T18:20:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/849759\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:20:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:20:21","slug":"rams-receive-unfortunate-news-after-strong-comments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/849759\/","title":{"rendered":"Rams Receive Unfortunate News After Strong Comments"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Les\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Rams<\/a> must go back to the drawing board, and it is unclear if their options remain as clear as they once were. Following news of the Rams missing out on Kirk Cousins<\/a>, the logical pivot could be back to Jimmy Garoppolo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, there have already been signs that the ship has sailed.<\/p>\n

The Rams still have the reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford<\/a>. But they have navigated life without him before, and were open about their interest in Cousins.<\/p>\n

Rams Miss Out on Kirk Cousins in \u2018Unique\u2019 Deal\"Kirk<\/p>\n

GettyKirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up before a game against the New Orleans Saints<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rams general manager Les Snead<\/a> backed head coach Sean McVay<\/a> in openly courting Cousins, who ultimately landed another starting job with a different franchise, joining the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cousins posted, \u201cThe Autumn Wind\u2026,\u201d on X on April 2, a reference to the Raiders\u2019 anthem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cousins\u2019 agent, Mike McCartney, confirmed the big news, posting on X<\/a>, \u201cCongrats @KirkCousins8 agreeing to a contract with the @Raiders.\u201d<\/p>\n

McVay coached Cousins while both were in Washington<\/a>. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback reunited with another former coach, Klint Kubiak<\/a>, whom he was under as a member of the Minnesota Vikings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From @gmfb<\/a>: #Raiders<\/a> HC Klint Kubiak said the other day he would prefer a rookie QB to learn from a veteran before starting. With Kirk Cousins in the fold, Vegas now has that luxury for Fernando Mendoza. <\/p>\n

The Raiders gave Cousins the kind of deal the Rams acknowledged he could find.<\/p>\n

They were, however, able to bake in some flexibility for themselves. They are presumably preparing to make Fernando Mendoza<\/a> the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn paper, it\u2019s a three-year, $81.3M deal (or five for $172M with the void years),\u201d NFL Network\u2019s Tom Pelissero reported<\/a> on X on April 2. \u201cIn reality, it\u2019s one-year, $20 million for Kirk Cousins, who now will have played under fully guaranteed contracts for 11 consecutive seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated\u2019s Albert Breer called it<\/a> a \u201cunique deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Raiders are paying Cousins $1.3 million this season. The Atlanta Falcons<\/a> are covering $10 million after cutting him from a four-year, $180 million contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cousins would have likely received a one-year pact in LA. He gets another season to at least compete with Mendoza to start, as opposed to coming in as Stafford\u2019s backup.<\/p>\n

Rams in Interesting Situation Behind Matthew Stafford\"Stetson<\/p>\n

GettyJimmy Garoppolo #11 and Stetson Bennett #13 of the Los Angeles Rams look on against the Seattle Seahawks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Snead remarked on the Rams\u2019 approach to their backup quarterback situation in direct response to questions about Cousins.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a possibility,\u201d Snead told Adams on \u201cUp & Adams<\/a>\u201d on April 1. \u201cKirk\u2019s got opportunities, and our approach with the backup QB situation has been [to] give those players some space. They\u2019re trying to figure out what\u2019s next for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Cousins headed to Vegas, Garoppolo is the only other veteran linked to the Rams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Jimmy\u2019s working through his process right now,\u201d McVay said on \u201cPro Football Talk<\/a>\u201d on March 30. \u201cWe would love to be able to have him. There\u2019s some other guys that are out there. But we do need to be able to add another guy into that room, and that\u2019s something that we\u2019re looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from Garoppolo, and with Cousins off the board, the Rams\u2019 top veteran free agent options are four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers<\/a> and fellow 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Rams cannot afford to have Stetson Bennett IV<\/a> be their only backup for Stafford. That is true even if they do not anticipate the back injury that hindered him last offseason or something similar being an issue this time around.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tJosh Buckhalter<\/a> covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

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