INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 30: San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel (19) dives to attain a landing in entrance of Los Angeles Rams’ Jalen Ramsey (5) dives within the second quarter of the NFC championship recreation at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
San Francisco 49ers followers could also be sick with ideas of what might need been following the Rams’ Tremendous Bowl win Sunday night time.
That’s justified.
In any case, the Niners had owned LA up till they performed within the NFC Championship Sport.
That might have been the Niners within the confetti Sunday.
However put apart that jealousy or anger for a second. Let’s look ahead. And as we do, know that the Rams’ win may very well be the catalyst for his or her demise.
It’s a basic Los Angeles story — the Rams offered out. Or, to place it one other manner, they pushed all their chips — draft picks and money — into the center of the desk to win a Tremendous Bowl.
Yet another pressured analogy: They stripped the cabinet naked and hoped that the shine of the Lombardi Trophy would show distracting sufficient to visitors.
They've that trophy now. It’s onerous to say it wasn’t well worth the threat.
However that doesn’t imply the danger of that strategy has been eradicated.
The Rams have 20 pending free brokers. Eight of these gamers are starters. They’re $15 million over the wage cap for subsequent season.
Bringing again key starters — edge rusher Von Miller, cornerback Darious Williams, and three beginning offensive linemen for subsequent season — is not going to be straightforward. Repeating with out them shall be even more durable.
And changing them with draft picks? Properly, that’s going to be powerful, seeing as they solely have three for subsequent season — a fifth-rounder and two sevenths — with compensatory picks nonetheless to be allotted.
A bunch of free brokers, few draft picks, and no cash? The Rams may very well be in for a hellacious offseason.
However cash won't be the one motive gamers gained’t come again to the Rams subsequent 12 months.
Success offers an ideal jumping-off level for a lot of in blue and yellow. These Rams had been constructed for an excellent time, not a very long time — now that they've their title, gamers (or maybe coaches) would possibly resolve to say goodbye to LA or the sport.
We knew that Rams left sort out Andrew Whitworth was going to retire if Los Angeles gained the Tremendous Bowl. He’s 40, in any case. Hell of a profession, Huge Whit.
However NBC reported an hour earlier than Sunday’s recreation that defensive sort out Aaron Donald — one of the best participant within the NFL — was contemplating retirement at age 30 if the Rams gained.
Properly, the Rams gained.
That bombshell was dropped amid swirling hypothesis in L.A. that Rams coach Sean McVay might probably retire, too, at age 36. If not now, then within the close to future. I’d wager on the latter, nevertheless it’s fascinating nonetheless.
Maybe it’s all simply Southern California tabloid fodder — empty nonsense to fill 20 hours of Tremendous Bowl pregame exhibits — but when the Rams lose their left sort out and Donald, their Tremendous Bowl odds ought to considerably drop.
And if McVay decides to take huge cash from Fox or Amazon to grow to be a broadcaster, they’ll must drop off the board.
In the meantime, the 49ers are getting loads of love from sportsbooks to win subsequent season’s title. The Chiefs and Payments are the odds-on favorites, after all, however the 49ers — at 14-to-1 at most books — are the second-best workforce within the NFC, behind the Rams, even with Trey Lance as their quarterback.
That’s a number of respect.
Nevertheless it is smart to me.
Look across the NFC. Who ought to be feared? The Rams, for now. Who else?
Not Tampa Bay with out Tom Brady. Not the Packers — you may wager on Aaron Rodgers all you need. (And by the way in which, he’s staying.)
Are you in on the Cowboys at 16-to-1 at Caesars Sportsbook?
Really, the higher query right here is “do you want burning cash?”
The NFC was weak this season and it’s going to be weaker subsequent season.
The Niners — even with a younger quarterback in tow — ought to have a powerful, typically secure workforce due to Lance’s rookie contract. And that workforce that was minutes away from being within the Tremendous Bowl the Rams gained.
Dive even additional and also you’ll see that the NFC West is weaker Monday than it was only some days in the past.
The Rams gained the title, however they appear the a part of a one-and-done. The Seahawks stay in a state of chaos — I believed generational quarterbacks had been alleged to get jobs for his or her coaches, not get them fired.
And boy, are the upstart Cardinals are a large number.
Kyler Murray goes full Gen-Z on the Cardinals, telling them they’re now not besties by being petty on Instagram.
Be at liberty to wager on that man and that workforce subsequent 12 months.
Will the Niners be a greater or worse workforce subsequent season? That’s debatable.
However I’m three groups of their division who appear to be trending within the flawed route.
I’m a convention that may lack a real, bonafide No. 1 subsequent season.
I’m a Niners workforce that should ask the identical query on daily basis this offseason:
Why can’t that No. 1 workforce be us?
I’m nonetheless searching for the explanation why they gained’t be.