For fans frustrated by the Rams’ decision to tear things down and rebuild this year, there’s good news: Next offseason should be much different. General manager Les Snead doesn’t expect the team to be conservative again next year, not in the way it has been so far this offseason.
Next year will be more like the 2017-2022 Rams we saw for the last six years, pursuing big-name players and pushing aggressively to win a Super Bowl. In other words, this is only going to be a one-year reset.
“We decided to use this year, so we could really next year, start doing exactly what we have done in the past,” Snead told Gilbert Manzano of Sports Illustrated. “But this was a moment to take a pause, so that we can continue being aggressive.”
It’s not exactly a surprising statement by Snead. He’s not going to say the Rams will continue their rebuild and remain conservative in 2024, too. He wants to give fans hope and give them something to look forward to after what’s expected to be a tough season in 2023.
However, it is good to hear that the Rams will get back to what they’ve done in recent years. That’s not just signing mid-tier free agents and trying to win division titles. That’s pushing to win Super Bowls by acquiring star players, even at the cost of first-round picks.
What the Rams will look like in 2024 is hard to say. Aaron Donald could retire after this season, which would leave a gaping hole on defense. Matthew Stafford is expected to continue playing beyond 2023, but if the Rams are near the top of the draft, will they take a premier quarterback?
This is a team that’s clearly in rebuild mode, no matter what Snead says. But the outlook in 2024 is much brighter.
