Who are the most valuable players on the Rams roster?
Given that the Los Angeles Rams are in a Super Bowl window, it’s hard to see them trading any of their top players for draft picks. Still, it’s always interesting to look at a team’s most valuable assets if they were forced to enter a sell mode.
Additionally, the Rams are going to have to make some difficult decisions in terms of player contracts over the next few seasons. Over the past few seasons, the Rams have done a good job collecting talented, young players through the draft. Those players include Jared Verse, Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, and others. They likely won’t be able to hand out extensions to all five of them. If the Rams are in a position to sell and one of those players is on the final year of their contract, they may be able to get more immediate value in a trade.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently created trade tiers for each team, placing players into five tiers: ‘two first-round picks and more,’ ‘two first-round picks,’ ‘one first-round pick and more,’ ‘one first-round pick,’ and ‘missing out.’ Unsurprisingly, the two players worth multiple first-round picks for the Rams were Puka Nacua and Jared Verse. Said Barnwell on Nacua,
The Rams were the team that drilled down on using first-round picks to acquire young stars in the middle of their rookie deals, so it’s safe to say they’re acutely aware of how valuable Nacua would be on the market. While he missed six games and most of a seventh last season, he led the NFL in yards per route run and averaged 90 yards per contest. He’s an incredibly slippery route runner and an excellent blocker, something even other elite receivers around the league can’t necessarily say. He’ll remain one of the league’s biggest bargains for one more year, making just over $1 million in 2025, before the Rams lock him up with a well-deserved extension next spring.
It’s unlikely the Rams would trade Verse or Nacua. Those are two players that the Rams front office is going to view as pillars to build around moving forward. However, an argument could be made for the Rams to trade Nacua at the end of his rookie deal. There is something to be said about Sean McVay’s ability to get top production out of mid-level wide receivers.
The top wide receivers under McVay have been Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Puka Nacua. Woods wasn’t seen as a top free agent while Kupp and Nacua weren’t highly regarded college prospects. In fact, the two second round picks at wide receiver that the Rams have drafted have largely been disappointments. Would the Rams get more value by trading Nacua for a first-round pick next spring and then finding another receiver on a rookie deal?
This past offseason, the Rams took trade calls for quarterback Matthew Stafford as they faced the same question. The Rams were at a crossroads in which they could either extend the starting quarterback or capitalize on his current value. Still, Barnwell believes the Rams could get a first round pick for Stafford,
“Would the Rams have landed a first-round pick for Stafford if they had actually traded him to the Giants or Steelers this offseason? I’m not sure. It’s tough to believe L.A. would have landed the third overall pick from New York, but it’s more plausible to imagine it getting the No. 21 pick from Pittsburgh or enough alongside the Giants’ pick at No. 34 to count as a first-rounder’s worth of compensation. Even if Stafford is a two-year rental, we saw the Jets send about a first-round pick’s worth of compensation to the Packers for Aaron Rodgers just two years ago, and Stafford is both younger and better than Rodgers was at the time of the deal.”
A situation that has been developing throughout training camp has been the contract situation of running back Kyren Williams. While Williams has been productive, it’s fair to question whether those stats are a result of volume. While Williams’ camp may want $12-$14 million per year, the Rams may feel more comfortable in the $8-$10 million range.
Another factor to consider is that the Rams do have the contracts of Verse, Nacua, Turner, Fiske, and Young to think about over the next few years. Nacua can sign a contract extension next offseason along with Turner. Both of those contracts won’t be cheap. Does it make sense spending money on a running back? Barnwell had Kyren Williams just missing out. Said Barnwell,
“RB Kyren Williams has been consistently productive over the past two seasons, but he has missed time with foot and ankle injuries and is likely to get a significant pay raise before the start of 2025.”
The Rams may end up getting more for Williams with a compensatory pick than they would in a trade. Williams isn’t going to net a first round pick like Christian McCaffrey. At most, Williams may be valued at a third or fourth round pick by teams around the NFL. That’s approximately what the Rams would get if Williams were to leave as a free agent.
Barnwell also mentioned Byron Young in this group which is a situation that could get interesting. A team can never have too many pass rushers, but if Josaiah Stewart develops this year, Young could become a trade candidate.
Again, it’s always interesting to look at the most valuable assets on each team. It’s highly unlikely that the Rams would ever trade a player like Verse or Nacua. Still, it’s also a good testament of the front office and the young talent that they’ve acquired.
