Is the Rams Super Bowl formula exciting?

By: Andy Davies

The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl 56 two Sundays ago, the second in franchise history. However, there was a Facebook post from NFL memes that went around suggesting whether this was bad for the NFL. It stated that it sets a new way for Super Teams, makes the draft picks not be as important and allows for short-lived success, and eliminates dynasties. 

Meme pages are often used as a light-hearted way to interact with fans, but this raised a good point as to whether it was bad that the Rams won the Super Bowl. 

The NBA Effect

 We have seen NBA players in recent years request trades in order to win a Championship and as a result, form a ”˜Super Team’. Lebron James did it with the Miami Heat, Kevin Durant moved to the Golden State Warriors to form one and James Harden tried this when he went to the Brooklyn Nets. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did this last year and it worked. This has now set a precedent which the Rams followed, and other teams could also do.

Tom Brady arrived in March 2020, which then set off an influx of star players. They already had Mike Evans and Chris Godwin prior to the arrival of Brady, but soon added Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette as well as adding Antonio Brown midseason. All three scored touchdowns in their Super Bowl 55 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.  Fournette developed the nickname ”˜Playoff Lenny’ after his performances in the postseason.

The Rams were already assembling a great team, going completely against their recent method when in St Louis. Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp, who both had big roles in the Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals, were drafted. Since moving to L.A and building a new stadium, the intention to win now was clear from head coach Sean McVay and owner Stan Kroenke. 

They sacrificed first-round picks when traded for cornerback Jalen Ramsey during the 2019 season, a signal of their intent. Quarterback Jared Goff, who was drafted first overall by the then St. Louis Rams, was seen as holding the team back. During 2021, the Rams ramped up their intention.

In January 2020, a week before Super Bowl 55, they gave the Detroit Lions two first-round picks and Goff in order to get Matthew Stafford. The 2009 first overall pick was the man they chose to take this team over the edge. A trade for Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller and signing Odell Beckham Jr after clearing waivers, showed this team was ”˜all-in’. They went on to win the Super Bowl. 

With two seasons in a row that have seen so-called super teams win it all, this has the potential to inspire teams to do the same every season.

We have seen players already start to receive more and more money, most notably the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in recent years. This has resulted in Dak Prescott requesting more money despite less reason to deserve it. We are also likely to see Lamar Jackson request more money during the final year of his contract despite questions over his arm. The same may apply to Kyler Murray when his rookie deal expires, another player with questions.

Players will want more money if other players are getting paid more than them, as was evident when Xavien Howard wanted more money because fellow Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones was getting paid more. This will lead to more trade requests. There definitely appears to be an NBA-like shift going on in the NFL.

Killing Off Cinderella Stores Such As Cincinnati 

The Bengals reached the Super Bowl with a completely opposite method to the Rams. They acquired Mike Hilton and Trey Hendrickson to free agency, but their other star players were drafted. Quarterback Joe Burrow was taken first overall in 2020 and Tee Higgins was taken in the following round. Joe Mixon was a second-round pick in 2017, as was Tyler Boyd in 2016 and Jessie Bates in 2018.

Ja’Marr Chase was taken fifth overall in 2021, a position the Bengals only fell down to due to Burrow’s ACL injury mid-season. This immediately helped the team, and their connection was instant, further showing the value of draft picks and how if you draft well, the method works. This Rams win can potentially prevent any teams from doing something similar, even if the Bengals were a good offensive line away from winning the game and completely killing off this article in the process. 

Stopping Dynasties May Be The Only Positive

Let’s be honest, unless it’s your own team, no one wants the same team winning year after year whatever sport it is. No one wanted Federer winning Wimbledon and everyone was ecstatic last season when Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain didn’t win their respective leagues.

The Rams’ method ultimately stops that unless they absolutely nail their future late-round picks. Then we are in trouble. The salary cap is likely to take a hit, which again could be derailed for neutrals if players take the Brady method and play for less money.

However, players are likely these days to want that cash. Therefore, the Rams’ success may be for a few more years, they are unlikely to have a Patriots’ style dynasty. 

Could We See Draft Picks Devalued?

This win has the potential to devalue the worth of having multiple first-round picks. A team giving another team two or three first-rounders, which may happen with Deshaun Watson, could mean that teams receiving these selections will make their team better for the future. 

On the other hand, we have seen teams time and time again make bad selections and ultimately waste their capital. This is why the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins have not won a playoff game in over 30 years. Why use a draft pick on someone who could be great when you can get someone who instantly improves the team. Teams will definitely look to do this, especially when their team is not a million miles off playoff contention or are one piece away. 

The Denver Broncos are the most likely team to do this, with an already good defense and choice of offensive weapons. All they really need is a good quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is heavily linked and with Davante Adams a pending Free Agent, could we see Rodgers do what Brady did and arrive in the offseason and bring talent such as Adams with him? Expect the Broncos to use multiple draft picks if they need to.

We could also see the Minnesota Vikings do this through getting a quarterback. Kirk Cousins isn’t a bad player but isn’t enough to take this team towards the next step. The likes of Russell Wilson and Watson are two players they could add to an exciting offense. 

Whichever way you look at this, the Rams are setting a bad example and have all the capabilities to ruin the pureness of the NFL parity.