Rams' Rival Waives White Flag After Surprise Trade Request
By Joe Summers
The Los Angeles Rams are dealing with an interesting offseason after falling just short of the NFC Championship in a narrow loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs. They still have a roster capable of making a run, though aging veterans necessitate some improvements in key areas.
Cooper Kupp's impending trade complicates matters, as does the bizarre comments Matthew Stafford's wife made that suggest he could be moved as well. Even still, it's overwhelmingly likely that Stafford will remain a Ram and Los Angeles will continue competing for an NFC West crown and more.
The same can't be said for at least one divisional rival following the news that San Francisco 49ers All-Pro WR Deebo Samuel has officially requested a trade.
The 49ers have granted Deebo Samuel and his agent Tory Dandy permission to find a trade partner for the wide receiver, Samuel told ESPN. This comes after Samuel asked San Francisco to trade him during the players’ exit meetings after the season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 9, 2025
“It was a hard conversation to… pic.twitter.com/uuEsxgFHIJ
49ers WR Deebo Samuel Officially Requests Trade
The 49ers obviously struggled in 2024, falling short of the postseason despite losing in overtime of the Super Bowl the year prior. Samuel's struggles and antics were a large topic of conversation throughout the campaign, and now San Francisco has to reset the offense without one of its most important pieces.
That gives the Rams a massive opportunity. The Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks are solid teams but not at Los Angeles' level. San Francisco was the only squad who could strike fear into Rams fans' hearts, and now they need to replace a key skill-position player while simultaneously likely giving Brock Purdy a large contract. That's not a recipe for success and it cements Stafford's Rams as the top team in the division.
At this point, it'd be foolish to trade Stafford. A Kupp deal makes sense given his age, salary, and injury history, though this is still an offense capable of competing with the elite squads in the NFL. If the Los Angeles pulled off a Super Bowl run in 2025, no one would be surprised.
With how weak the division suddenly looks, this is the time for Sean McVay and Les Snead to strike. There are no excuses and the Rams need to be vigilant in putting the best possible roster on the field next season.
The 49ers are waiving a metaphorical white flag. Few teams are as well-positioned as the Rams are to capitalize.
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