The Los Angeles Rams likely didn't worry so much about the Seattle Seahawks until after Pete Carroll was removed from his duties after the 2023 season. LA owned Carroll and his team for many years, and the NFC West seemed to truly belong to the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.
The hire of Mike Macdonald has changed things drastically. In his first season of 2024, Macdonald's team went 10-7, missed the playoffs, but won six of its final eight games. The last one against Los Angeles.
Last year, Seattle defeated LA twice in three games, including the NFC Championship game, as Macdonald and the rest of the franchise were on their way to winning the Super Bowl. The Rams had lost ground to the team in the Pacific Northwest quickly. The entire league had.
The Rams are trying to play catch-up to the Seattle Seahawks and Mike Macdonald
Los Angeles had to do something, and they have done many things this offseason. The moves an admission that they are no longer the alphas of the NFC West, but that they are chasing the Seattle Seahawks and Mike Macdonald.
After rebuilding their cornerback depth chart, a group that was often torched by quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba last season, by trading for Trent McDuffie and then signing Jaylon Watson in free agency, Los Angeles traded for elite edge rusher Myles Garrett this week.
Those moves were made in an attempt to get back to having a chance to win another Super Bowl, a road that literally had to go through Seattle last season and could do so again in the future. LA will host the title game next season, and obviously, the Rams would like to play a home game in the Super Bowl.
Watching the Seahawks try to repeat as champions in the home stadium of head coach Sean McVay's team wouldn't be fun for his organization. The franchise hopes that the moves for Garrett, McDuffie, and Watson will help get the world back to center, in their view.
Meanwhile, Seattle general manager John Schneider appears set on loading up for next year. The team has a projected 12 draft picks in 2027 after losing key free agents and picking up comp picks, one that can be used next year, by assistant GM Nolan Teasley become the general manager for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Seahawks also have $35,583,524 in cap space next year, according to Over the Cap. This all means that Seattle's relatively quiet 2026 offseason could be noisy in 2027. Let's just hope it isn't in reaction to the Rams winning the Super Bowl. Maybe LA is still trying to figure out a way to beat Mike Macdonald.
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