Inside Kroenke and LA Rams' ultimate NFL sacrifice which won them Super Bowl
Inevitably trading up to take the first overall pick in the NFL Draft comes at a cost - but for the last team to do it, they were able to achieve their ultimate ambition, a Super Bowl triumph, but it was far from straightforward along the way.
In 2016, Stan Kroenke's Los Angeles Rams were heading back to LA after more than 20 years in St Louis. Selecting 15th in the draft after a 7-9 season that had left them third in the NFC West and without a play-off appearance in more than a decade.
Kroenke needed to make a splash, and a name to sell tickets to pack out a new stadium back in Los Angeles. In short, the Rams needed to be relevant again - picking 15th, right in the middle of a draft that had two notable quarterback prospects vying to be the first overall pick, Kroenke and general manager Les Snead decided to go all-in - an approach that has gone on to underpin them since the return to LA.
The Tennessee Titans and new general manager Jon Robinson were sitting pretty at the top of the draft but had no need for a quarterback having selected Marcos Mariota in 2015 as their franchise QB. Cleveland Browns - in perpetual quarterback purgatory - were selecting second, while teams like Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers were rumoured to be in the quarterback market, Tennessee were hopeful of collecting a huge bounty for the first overall pick.
North Dakota State's big-armed physical threat Carson Wentz and California's poised pocket passer Jared Goff were the two names emerging as the pick of the quarterback bunch. On April 14, the Rams pulled the trigger, handed the Titans a haul that included two first round picks, two second round picks and two third picks and put themselves in pole position to select their face of the future.
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Just days later, the Rams move up the board was vindicated when Philadelphia moved up from eighth to second and Howie Roseman was honest when he admitted a quarterback was the reason for the jump.
Armed with the first pick, the Rams set about doing their research. The hometown kid Goff was the favourite - born in California he went on to be a record breaker for the University of California, surpassing Aaron Rodgers for many of them. But Wentz was a fascinating wild card out of a less renowned quarterback school. His stock was on the rise after a Pro Day that had scouts fascinated by his combination of athleticism and powerful arm
Jared Goff was the Rams first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, but now plays for Detroit (Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)With the first pick
On Draft night, Goff was the man the Rams turned to, handed his No. 1 Rams jersey by commissioner Roger Goodell. He was soon to adorn the media guides, the LA billboards and the 2016 series of Hard Knocks.
But under Jeff Fisher, he had to wait until November for his first start, and ultimately it was another season of disappointment for the Rams who recorded the NFL's lowest-scoring offense and Goff lost all seven of his starts.
Things took a turn for the better when Sean McVay was appointed as Fisher's successor Grandson of San Francisco's Super Bowl-winning GM John McVay, Sean McVay had started his coaching career aged 22 and earned a reputation as something of an offensive guru - he was the youngest ever head coach appointed by an NFL team, aged just 30.
The turnaround was immediate as the Rams, with Goff under centre and Todd Gurley at running back, they became the league's top-scoring team and claimed the NFC West. A first play-off appearance in 13 years and a first winning record in 14 years followed. While defeat to the Falcons i n the Divisional Round ended McVay and Goff's first season together it was just the start.
The Rams record a 13-3 record in 2018, claim a second divisional crown and went all the way to the Super Bowl where they were beaten 13-3 by the New England Patriots.
Sean McVay and Jared Goff parted ways ahead of the 2022 season - with Goff headed for the Detroit Lions (USA TODAY Sports) The Goff dilemma
Goff was playing his part, putting up record regular season QB ratings of more than 100 with a 60-19 TD-interception record. The Rams picked up his fifth year option and soon had him signed to a $134m four-year extension which included a then-record $110m in guaranteed money,
Despite more records, questions were beginning to be asked as to whether Goff was enough to steer McVay's offense. Spectacular highs (career-high 517 passing yards vs Tampa Bay) were mixed with disappointing lows (career-low 78 passing yards vs San Francisco) and a 9-7 record saw them miss out on the Play-Offs.
By this stage, the Rams' Hollywood reputation and McVay's coaching had seen them continue to eschew draft picks. Only now it was in favour of a strategy that saw them pursue veterans such as Ndamukong Suh, Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters Jalen Ramsey and Andrew Whitworth in free agency and via trades.
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A 'f*** them picks' approach means that, remarkably, the Rams have not selected in the first round since the 2016 selection of Goff.
The Rams beat Cincinnati to claim the Super Bowl in their home stadium (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)A change at quarterback...and the biggest prize
Goff led the Rams back to the Play-Offs in 2020 but the whispers about his suitability grew louder and eventually in March 2021 he was sent to the Detroit Lions - along with a package of picks in return for Matthew Stafford. It was the catalyst for the Rams' Super Bowl run as Stafford delivered the Lombardi Trophy that Kroenke, Snead and McVay had been chasing.
Stafford helped the Rams into the post season on the back of franchise records for pass completions, pass attempts and passing yards. He also tied Kurt Warner's passing TD record - and enjoying a stellar relationship with Offensive Player of the Year Copper Kupp.
More impressively Stafford led the Rams from the Wild Card Round to a home Super Bowl in SoFi Stadium where they beat the Cincinnati Bengals to lift their first Lombard since 1999.
Snead and McVay have embraced the approach that has gone against the grain of drafting. So having traded up 14 spots in 2016, the Rams delivered their Super Bowl target six years later, albeit without the man they drafted at the top of the board.
Seven years on, it's the Carolina Panthers who have become the sixth team in NFL history to trade for the first overall pick. The assumption is they have gone all-in on a quarterback class they hope might be the first step towards lifting the Lombardi.
Panthers GM Scott Fitterer, new Head Coach Frank Reich and owner David Tepper have their pick of the class and Alabama's Bryce Young is expected to be the choice. CJ Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson could be options but whoever it is, if the Rams are anything to go by, the ride that follows might be a rollercoaster one.
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