The constant hallmark of our team under the leadership of Sean McVay and Les Snead have been aggressive moves in pursuit of Super Bowl titles. While this year may feel different given the first two weeks of the offseason, make no mistake, we expect to challenge for the NFC West division title this season and make a run for it to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
We always knew that there would come a time when we would have to retire our typical approach to help continue our sustained streak of success. In the past, when we traded for younger Pro Bowl players who would get new contracts (Sammy Watkins, Marcus Peters, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Ramsey), we had the long-term salary cap flexibility to take on those new contracts. If we wanted to acquire short-term players like Dante Fowler or Von Miller, we had the extra capital from the draft to help us jumpstart the Super Bowl, which we did in both cases.
During last year’s trade deadline, it became clear that in a new era where teams were willing to be as aggressive as we were, we had neither the draft capital nor the salary cap space to win trade talks and be able to take the lead. players with the salaries they would command.
As a result, we are facing a choice this offseason. Once again, we could restructure contracts to give ourselves one last chance with our main roster, but that would mean a total rebuild would be necessary in future seasons. Or we could focus on replenishing our preliminary capital and improving our cap situation over the long term, clearing the way for us to compete both now and in the future.
Collectively as an organization, we chose the latter path, believing in the talent on our current roster and the abilities of our coaching staff to return to the playoffs. As we stand today, we have 11 draft picks in this year’s draft, including three in the top 77. We have almost all of our picks in 2024 to build next year and have capital to make trades at this year’s trade deadline. From a salary cap perspective, while we’ve had to leave behind the players who helped us lift a Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium, we’ve taken all our salary cap pain in 2023 and project to have over $60 million in cap space in 2024. , the most salary cap space we’ve had since we moved to Los Angeles.
Let me be clear: Our goal for 2023 is to win the NFC West and make a deep playoff run. The change does not mean that we expect to take a step back. Our Super Bowl LVI starting lineup featured 19 starters (of 22) who didn’t start in Super Bowl LIII just three years earlier. Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald enter this offseason as fresh as they have been in a few seasons and eager to get back to their Super Bowl form. We’re excited to see young players like Cam Akers, Cobie Durant, Van Jefferson and Ernest Jones taking on more prominent roles. Sean has assembled a new coaching staff with a focus on grandmasters, communicators, and different backgrounds to collaborate and figure out the best way to win the NFC.
We know what a privilege it is to be the Los Angeles team and that comes with great expectations. It is not enough to win a single championship, even if you win it at home. Our vision and mandate from ownership has always been sustained success and multiple Lombardi trophies. Under the leadership of Sean and Les, we are confident that this plan will allow us to race and compete not only this year, but for years to come, and we can’t wait to see them at SoFi Stadium this fall to begin that journey together. .
Thank you for your continued support and Go Rams!
