Les Snead has never been afraid to upset the fans for the better of the team. He fired Todd Gurley, traded Robert Quinn and Michael Brokers, and released Johnny Hecker.
But on Saturday night, he and the Rams made a move that arguably pissed off fans more than ever. They sent Robert Woods to the Titans for a sixth round pick… in 2023.
Really. The Rams only received a sixth-round pick the following year in exchange for their second-highest scoring receiver since the 2017 season, a player who has two seasons for 1,000 yards and 367 catches in five years with the Rams.
This angered passionate fans on Twitter, with just about everyone wondering why the Rams didn’t get more for Woods.
There are several reasons why the return was so low. For starters, Woods turns 30 in April, so he’s not exactly young, especially by wide receiver standards. Secondly, he has a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which he suffered in November. And finally, he has over $15 million worth of caps in each of the next four years.
This makes him an expensive, aging, injured receiver.
Does this mean the Rams lost this deal? It’s hard to say, honestly. The Rams get about $7.1 million in equity by trading Woods, but they also lose a key contributor and get nothing of value in return.
Woods is infinitely more valuable than next year’s sixth round pick. At best, the Rams will find a minor player who will hopefully play four years on a rookie contract. The Rams have hit the starter in the sixth round before (Sebastian Joseph-Day and Jordan Fuller), but doing it regularly is really hard.
But at the same time, paying three recipients more than $15 million a year is also bad business. Cooper Kupp isn’t going anywhere and Allen Robinson is a great #2 wide receiver, resulting in Woods being the #3 wide receiver, albeit a very expensive one.
The Rams have put themselves in this position and they have no one else to blame. They signed Robinson, who is clearly more valued than Woods. He’s younger, bigger, and hasn’t pulled away from an ACL tear.
But trading a player who is so highly valued and respected in the locker room is risky. This creates a dangerous advantage, showing that no one is safe, even though it was the Rams who gave Woods this big contract.
However, Trading Woods would be hard to swallow. But trading him for a sixth-round pick is hard.
Rating: C-