The Los Angeles Rams are no strangers to NFL rumors. Since their strategy has included successfully navigating trades for some of the NFL’s biggest stars in the past: like Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, and even Matthew Stafford, the trade deadline serves as an annual alarm clock to wake up NFL insiders and fans to check out. What Rams and GM Les Snead are up to. Gambling is in Sneed’s DNA. No, not the foolish garden variety. Nothing like that.
Sinead, despite his boyish Southern charm, has a great deal of intelligence. He picks up every phone call inquiring about his players, or with the intent of discussing a trade for a new veteran player, and finding out what his final offer will be. If there is some interest, great. If there is no interest? Toodle-low.
The Rams appear to be open to any trade offers, at least in terms of hearing them out. After all, it’s just data, more information to feed into their data analysis algorithm.
But this kind of “Okay, let’s hear the offer” requires a lot of immediately accessible information, a calm and collected demeanor, and a strong sense of self-confidence to know exactly where the line should be in any negotiation. Drawn. Rams GM Les Snead checks all of those boxes.
Unlike the legal persona of Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who exudes an aura of negotiation from the moment he extends his hand and asks “How you doing?”, Snead has a disarming manner of grilling in the neighbor’s backyard. Unless you walk into the conversation knowing exactly how smart Les Snead is, you can have a conversation with him for an hour and think he’s just a good guy. But in reality, you have just shared your life history.
Don’t read between the lines. While I’m often in awe of the Rams’ general manager, and his ability to make the most impossible trades possible, I’m not suggesting he’s perfect. In fact, his willingness to try to make bad deals is what makes me in awe of him. He has a huge streak of luck that completes trades that help the team, but also prevents signing deals that won’t stand up to the scrutiny of 20/20 hindsight.
confused? Here’s what I mean: