The Los Angeles Rams were once a playoff contender in 'win-now' mode, acquiring talent left and right, to the point that they did not make a first-round selection for eight years. After finally winning it all in 2021, they went with a draft and develop approach that has proven successful.
However, the trade request by one of the league's best player could have the Rams abandoning their current motto entirely in their pursuit of glory once more.
After months of negotiation attempts, Dallas Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons has requested a trade from the organization. It has skyrocketed the conversations about where the top pass rusher could end up. Almost immediately, every playoff-contending franchise became a favorite to land Parsons.
One of those teams is the Rams. The organization is well-positioned for a championship push for seasons to come, though they may have an adjustment in the future with a quarterback to one day succeed franchise signal-caller Matthew Stafford.
Los Angeles also has an exciting young defense, especially up front. Pass rusher Jared Verse leads the way as the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year and is on the cusp of becoming a top player at his position. Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, and Poona Ford make up a stout interior front.
Even with all of this talent on the defensive front and the roster as a whole, the rich could always get richer. Parsons is the type of talent that rarely becomes available on the trade market, and teams will be offering hefty sums, figuratively and literally.
This is a former DROY, three-time All-Pro, and four-time Pro Bowler with 52.5 sacks at 26 years old in need of a new contract that will likely make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Could the Rams become the team to give up significant capital and money for Parsons? At this point, it seems unlikely, and the team can't afford him in reality.
However, I want to theorize what adding Parsons to this Rams team could look like. He could give Chris Shula the best edge rusher duo in the game with Verse and make Los Angeles a better football team immediately as a transcendent talent. That would make this franchise an easy Super Bowl contender in the NFC and the entire league to the point of being the favorites to win it all.
Again, while the Rams may already be out of the Parsons race to begin with, things could change quickly after a potential inquiry into the elite edge defender. Until then, fans can only dream of the possibilities through Madden 26 in the coming weeks.
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