Rams Trade for Danielle Hunter Rumor: 'Time & Place' for Los Angeles Big Move?
We continue to view the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 as something other than a buyer, believing that the organization hopes that a quartet of luminaries - coach Sean McVay plus Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald - can keep the team afloat.
But maybe we're missing something, because "NFL analysts'' continue to attach the Rams to big-name and expensive helpers, the latest example being the $72 million Pro Bowl holdout Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings.
A site called "Vikings Wire'' is envisioning L.A. as a strong destination for the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end. Why? the site doesn't seem very fond of the Rams' pass-rushers outside of Donald.
“They only have 11 career sacks from players on the roster from players not named Donald,” the site wrote. “They also have a history of trading a lot of draft capital for veteran players. Would they do the same for Hunter? With their history and having their full slate of picks in 2024, it’s possible.''
To be frank, comparing the "non-Donalds'' to "The Donald'' is sort of like pointing out that none of the other Rams QBs have stats to match Stafford or that none of the other Rams receivers have stats to match Kupp; it's an unorthodox way to make a case for a rebuilding Rams team to make a big- bid play on Hunter, who at age 28 is coming off 10.5 sacks last season and his third Pro Bowl nod.
Vikings Wire isn't offering any "insight'' here; it's apparently just meant as a "fun guess,'' we suppose. But ... would the Rams consider it?
The Rams do have a history of chasing defensive talent and of paying for it. Von Miller and Bobby Wagner and Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd are recent examples. But those guys were essentially viewed as "put-us-over-the-top'' pieces for a contender. This Rams bunch is coming off a 5-12 season and is in a self-described "remodeling'' mode.
Rams GM Les Snead knows very well the time and the place for a go-for-it move. The holdout Hunter - who is now on a $14 million APY deal and of course wants a new contract (at maybe $20 mil APY?) to move forward with any team - might find that this is his time. But we doubt he will find L.A. to be his place.
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