Rams Sought 'Right Destination' for Woods

The Tennessee Titans are not the only ones who think Robert Woods is a good fit for their offense and their locker room.

The Los Angeles Rams, who agreed to trade the veteran wide receiver to Tennessee on Saturday, feel the same way, according to SI.com/MMQB senior NFL reporter Albert Breer. The Rams did their best to get Woods somewhere he could thrive with his well-rounded skillset, and they settled on the Titans, Breer reported.

One more on Robert Woods: The Rams worked with him to find the right destination. Titans are a scheme fit—Woods is a great downfield threat off play-action and a strong run blocker—and great intangible fit.

This was a tough 1 for Sean McVay, so Rams wanted to do right by Woods.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 20, 2022

Woods, 29 (he will be 30 in less than a month), was the Rams’ leading receiver in 2018 with 86 receptions for 1,219 yards and six touchdowns in 2018. He finished a close second to Cooper Kupp each of the next two years and was on pace for similar numbers in 2021 before a torn knee ligament sustained in practice ended his season after nine games.

Given the belief that the Titans can offer him the opportunity to return to that level of production, the sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft that they got in return seems like a pittance.

As Breer also noted, though, this deal was more about what Los Angeles gave up than what they got. In dealing Woods, who is signed through 2025 but has no guarantees beyond this season, the Rams freed up $7.1 million in salary cap space this season.

Related on Woods: Not enough people on here realize how big a factor a player’s contract is in what a team is able to get for him.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 19, 2022

It is similar to the Titans’ 2020 trade that sent defensive lineman Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos almost exactly two years earlier to the day. Tennessee got a seventh-round draft pick for a player who had been to the Pro Bowl for five straight seasons but was due to count $13.4 million against the salary cap that season. The Broncos took on the full weight of those contract terms.

Of course, Tennessee hopes this deal works out better than that one did for the Broncos. Casey played three games for Denver before he sustained a season-ending knee injury. A few months later he retired – as a Titan.