Les Snead, Los Angeles Rams
Getty
Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Los Angeles Rams must go back to the drawing board, and it is unclear if their options remain as clear as they once were. Following news of the Rams missing out on Kirk Cousins, the logical pivot could be back to Jimmy Garoppolo.
However, there have already been signs that the ship has sailed.
The Rams still have the reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford. But they have navigated life without him before, and were open about their interest in Cousins.
Rams Miss Out on Kirk Cousins in ‘Unique’ Deal
Kirk Cousins, Los Angeles Rams
GettyKirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up before a game against the New Orleans Saints.
Rams general manager Les Snead backed head coach Sean McVay in openly courting Cousins, who ultimately landed another starting job with a different franchise, joining the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cousins posted, “The Autumn Wind…,” on X on April 2, a reference to the Raiders’ anthem.
Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, confirmed the big news, posting on X, “Congrats @KirkCousins8 agreeing to a contract with the @Raiders.”
McVay coached Cousins while both were in Washington. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback reunited with another former coach, Klint Kubiak, whom he was under as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
Mike Garafolo
From @gmfb: #Raiders HC Klint Kubiak said the other day he would prefer a rookie QB to learn from a veteran before starting. With Kirk Cousins in the fold, Vegas now has that luxury for Fernando Mendoza.
The Raiders gave Cousins the kind of deal the Rams acknowledged he could find.
They were, however, able to bake in some flexibility for themselves. They are presumably preparing to make Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 draft.
“On paper, it’s a three-year, $81.3M deal (or five for $172M with the void years),” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on X on April 2. “In reality, it’s one-year, $20 million for Kirk Cousins, who now will have played under fully guaranteed contracts for 11 consecutive seasons.”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer called it a “unique deal.”
The Raiders are paying Cousins $1.3 million this season. The Atlanta Falcons are covering $10 million after cutting him from a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins would have likely received a one-year pact in LA. He gets another season to at least compete with Mendoza to start, as opposed to coming in as Stafford’s backup.
Rams in Interesting Situation Behind Matthew Stafford
Stetson Bennett, Jimmy Garoppolo, Los Angeles Rams
GettyJimmy Garoppolo #11 and Stetson Bennett #13 of the Los Angeles Rams look on against the Seattle Seahawks.
Snead remarked on the Rams’ approach to their backup quarterback situation in direct response to questions about Cousins.
“That is a possibility,” Snead told Adams on “Up & Adams” on April 1. “Kirk’s got opportunities, and our approach with the backup QB situation has been [to] give those players some space. They’re trying to figure out what’s next for them.”
With Cousins headed to Vegas, Garoppolo is the only other veteran linked to the Rams.
“I think Jimmy’s working through his process right now,” McVay said on “Pro Football Talk” on March 30. “We would love to be able to have him. There’s some other guys that are out there. But we do need to be able to add another guy into that room, and that’s something that we’re looking at.”
Aside from Garoppolo, and with Cousins off the board, the Rams’ top veteran free agent options are four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers and fellow 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson.
The Rams cannot afford to have Stetson Bennett IV be their only backup for Stafford. That is true even if they do not anticipate the back injury that hindered him last offseason or something similar being an issue this time around.