From Brian Burns to L’Jarius Sneed and Tee Higgins, the Rams have a long list to consider in trades
Two years ago, the Green Bay Packers placed the franchise tag on Davante Adams and though he told the team he wouldn’t play on that deal it still came as a shock when the All-Pro receiver was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders for a first and second round pick. Trading players on the franchise tag is not common, but it does happen and being able to get something back for an elite player is part of the reason that the tag exists at all.
There were eight players given the franchise tag by this week’s deadline and in any normal year that means that some of them will sign extensions and some of them will play out the one-year deal, but 2024 appears to be an offseason that will include at least one trade of a tagged player.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams continue to be the Los Angeles Rams and that means that general manager Les Snead is ALWAYS working the phones to find out “What will this player cost me and is he special enough to give up a first round pick for?” Because the sky is blue and Les Snead is anxious that he hasn’t traded his first round pick yet. This could also be the perfect year to trade the first round pick, as 19 could be a little low for the blue chip prospects and the Rams actually have plenty of cap space.
Do any of the eight franchise tagged players seem like ideal fits for the 2024 L.A. Rams?
DT Justin Madubuike, Ravens
S Antoine Winfield, Bucs
WR Michael Pittman, Colts
Three names I scratch off the list immediately are Madubuike, Winfield, and Pittman. I don’t think that Winfield and Pittman are quite of the level of the other tagged players in terms of value and are best suited, probably, to stay with their current teams. If the Rams had drafted Winfield that would be great and then L.A. would have a great safety, which they don’t have right now, but you don’t trade a first round pick and pay a guy like that too. If the Bucs had any intentions of losing Winfield, wouldn’t they have rather tagged Baker Mayfield?
Madubuike is not going to be traded. The Ravens have a lot of key free agents but decided to tag Madubuike because he’s a player they plan to build the whole defensive line around. With Aaron Donald and Kobie Turner, it wouldn’t make sense to deal for a defensive tackle right now anyway because only two of them can play at a time.
Now we get into more intriguing possibilities.
EDGE Josh Allen, Jaguars
The seventh overall pick in 2019, Allen was having a good career going into 2023, but is now coming off of the best season of his life with 17.5 sacks, 33 QB hits, two forced fumbles, and an interception. With that, the Jaguars made sure to tag him and by all accounts Jacksonville will not trade him; at least, not for anything less than a package including two first round picks.
Snead knows a thing or two about trading multiple first round picks to the Jaguars for a defensive player who wants a long-term contract
There’s a good chance that for the next 3-4 years, Allen will be among the NFL leaders in sacks no matter where he plays. There will also be skepticism regarding, “Where was this player before his contract year?”
Should a team risk a top of the market edge contract for Josh Allen, over $30 million per season and at least $80 million fully guaranteed, when this is the first time he’s played like an elite edge rusher? And is Allen one of those special well-rounded edge players who stops the run or is he just making sure to get his sacks? Before Jacksonville’s season finale, Allen stressed that “run defense” was the top three priorities against the Titans offense…and then Derrick Henry ran for 153 yards on 19 carries.
We’re not talking about signing Allen in free agency or trading for him. We’re talking about both: Trading valuable picks for him and giving him a massive contract. When the Rams traded for Jalen Ramsey, he was the top cornerback in the NFL and had been a star from his first week in the league. I can’t say that Allen is the top edge rusher in the NFL and he’s been inconsistent throughout his career. I bet Jacksonville is hoping to just get Allen to play on the tag and to see him prove his 2023 season over again before making a long-term agreement in 2025, but he may not end up playing on the tag.
Trade for Josh Allen? Too expensive.
EDGE Brian Burns, Panthers
We heard the Rams-Burns rumors many times in the past, specifically the one that L.A. wanted to trade two first round picks for him. I’ve never fully believed that—we realize that the Panthers are perfectly capable of spreading rumors too, right?—but the Rams being interested in Brian Burns does make a lot of sense by itself.
Ranked as the number one 2024 free agent by The Athletic’s Randy Mueller, Burns doesn’t turn 26 until next month (younger than Josh Allen) and he’s been more consistent than Allen, if not as dynamic. Burns also seems to be more of a well-rounded edge and comes off the field less often, potentially putting him in more of the “Maxx Crosby camp” than Allen.
What would Brian Burns cost?
Probably L.A.’s first two picks at 19 and 52, and then they’d have to pay him over $30 million per season.
You can think of it in the way that Burns is likely a better edge rusher than anyone who the Rams could draft in the first round and he’s going to help the defense immediately instead of waiting 1-3 years for his development, which sometimes never comes from first round picks. So if the Rams could simply “draft” Brian Burns, they would do it. The cost then is the difference in contracts and the additional second round pick, which certainly hurts but there is no gain if there is no sacrifice.
Carolina reportedly doesn’t like the contract numbers that Burns is asking for and he’s higher on the list of expected tagged players to be traded than most. It also makes sense that with no chance of winning the Super Bowl in 2024 that the Panthers would like to continue getting younger and moving more assets to the offensive side of the ball to help Bryce Young develop.
Trade for Brian Burns? It’s complicated
If it were simply trading a first round pick, I say go for it. We’ve seen how good the Rams defense is with an elite edge rusher and he’d be playing opposite of Byron Young, probably helping out both sides at once by drawing more attention from him, AD, and Turner. Also, Burns is basically the youngest edge rusher in the NFL when it comes to second contracts so when he gets paid there’s a good chance he’s going to be a top edge for the next 4-5 years.
But is he a $30 million per year player? It’s a lot of money for a player who had eight sacks last season and that’s probably about the average you’re going to get. For a first, a second, and the money, I say no.
CB L’Jarius Sneed, Chiefs
CB Jaylon Johnson, Bears
Several years after trading for Jalen Ramsey, the Rams could be open once again to trading for a top cornerback and there are two who were tagged by their teams and potentially available. Sneed is far more likely to be traded than Johnson.
The Bears granted Johnson permission to seek a trade at the 2023 deadline but nothing came out of that, which signals that no team was willing to give up a valuable package of draft picks for him. Or maybe Chicago was just asking for too much. The question is, if they were willing to trade for Montez Sweat and then give him a major contract, why not do the same for their number one corner? Johnson was second-team All-Pro and is not yet 25.
Trading Adams was a huge surprise two years ago though, so anything could happen with Johnson. It just seems like the Bears have little to gain with a trade because they already own the first and ninth overall picks, they have cap space, they need good players to get back to the playoffs, so just keep Jaylon Johnson, right?
The Chiefs are in a much tougher spot with Sneed.
Not only must Kansas City pay Chris Jones if they want to keep him from leaving in free agency, they also have All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie approaching his own contract extension and Patrick Mahomes’ cost is about to skyrocket too. All signs point to trading Sneed for a package that includes a first round pick so that the Chiefs can find some cheaper talent to build around their few stars that keep getting to the Super Bowl.
But paint me unconvinced that Sneed is anywhere near the level of Ramsey, so how much should a team be willing to trade for him?
Maybe at most you could convince the Lions to trade their late first round pick for Sneed as he’s going to step in right away and help a defense that was that close to making the Super Bowl last year. Detroit has cap space and a need at cornerback and they’re not going to get a blue chip player prospect with pick 29. Can Kansas City squeeze more than that? If that offer is on the table it means that the Rams would have to offer pick 19, so…
Trade for Sneed? Not worth a first round pick
With a pick and a contract, the Rams can go cheaper at cornerback and be fine. They should just draft a CB at 19, if that’s the case.
WR Tee Higgins, Bengals
Of all the tagged players who could be traded, Higgins joins Sneed as the two most likely. We’ve been pondering a Tee Higgins acquisition for quite some time as a great complement next to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp and we know two things: Sean McVay likes having 3 starting WRs and Snead doesn’t mind trading for and paying WRs.
With Cincinnati needing to pay Ja’Marr Chase in the near future, it seems they could try and cash in Higgins for a first round pick and to save cap space.
Trade for Higgins? Not with this year’s draft class
Would I trade a first round pick for Tee Higgins? No, I would not. There are so many intriguing options in the draft that you could arguably get a prospect in the second round who has a comparable value-per-dollar spent cost as Higgins, who probably wants at least $24 million per season. Even if the Rams have to think about the future after Cooper Kupp, there aren’t a shortage of options in trade, free agency, and the draft. I do think L.A. needs to add a starting caliber receiver this offseason, but not at the cost of their first round pick and a new contract. Higgins seems more likely to go somewhere that needs a WR1, would any team top a Panthers offer of pick 33? Would the Panthers and Bengals be interested in swapping their tagged players?
I don’t think this is a situation that will involve the Rams. But we’ve been surprised before.
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