The Los Angeles Rams lost 31-27 to our Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game last season, a defeat they apparently considered a “missed opportunity.” Yeah, no kidding. Our Hawks then went out and dominated the New England Patriots to clinch Super Bowl LX! That sting clearly lit a fire under the Rams, because they just went absolutely bonkers with their offseason spending, all because 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford decided he’s coming back for his 18th season. They are swinging for the fences and then some.
The Seahawks Sparked a Spending Spree
After watching our boys in green and blue hoist the Lombardi, the Rams decided it was Super Bowl or bust. Their first move was locking down safety Kam Curl on a three-year, $36 million contract, which could hit $39 million with escalators. But that was just the appetizer. Their cornerback situation was a mess, so they fixed it big time. In March, they traded for Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs, who was heading into a contract year. He then immediately inked a four-year, $124 million extension, making him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback at the time! And get this: they also grabbed McDuffie’s Kansas City counterpart, Jaylen Watson, on a three-year, $51 million deal as a free agent. Talk about throwing money at a problem, huh?
Garrett, Donald, and a Super Bowl-or-Bust Cap
Stafford, even as 2025 NFL MVP, was apparently “underpaid.” So, the Rams adjusted his contract, swapping the final two years of his old deal into a new two-year, $84 million pact last year, and then adding a one-year extension for $55 million through the 2027 season, worth up to $60 million with incentives. But the real jaw-dropper? They finally landed edge rusher Myles Garrett in June, a pursuit that started all the way back in 2022. The Cleveland Browns dealt the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year to the Rams for a haul: a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, a 2029 third-round pick, and 2024’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jared Verse. The craziest part? Garrett’s arrival actually inspired defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who was on track for the Hall of Fame in 2029, to *unretire*. Seriously, the Seahawks winning a Super Bowl made Aaron Donald come back!
The NFL salary cap for 2026 is $301.2 million, but the Rams managed an adjusted salary cap of $313.324 million. After all this offseason madness, SportsLine has the Rams as heavy favorites for Super Bowl LXI at 5-to-1 odds. The Buffalo Bills are next at 10-to-1, followed by our defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Yeah, we’re still here, still the champs. The Rams can spend all they want, but the Emerald City knows who holds the trophy. We’ll be watching to see if all that money makes them good enough to get past the champs again.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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