That opened the door for general manager Les Snead to get to work, attacking the new league year with precision by changing the signing of All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and adding former Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson to address the team’s biggest need. Another pick-up, linebacker Grant Stuard, added some depth to Los Angeles’ linebacker corps and signaled what everyone already expected from the Rams: They’re in it for 2026.
“He adds a lot,” McVay said of McDuffie, a first-team All-Pro in 2023. “I think that was primarily the spot we wanted to be able to address. When you do something like that, you better make sure they’re checking every single box in terms of who they are as a person, what does the tape look like in his first four years, what does he care about, who does he care about, what does he care about? did we have any internal knowledge based on [defensive backs coach] Jimmy Lake after being his coach in college. What he has put on tape and then what you hear about the person and everything he stands for obviously seemed worth it to us.
“He’s got the ability to play the infield, the boundary, the star, he can play the penalty spot if you wanted him to. What he does is he allows us to move the tough downs, can change the math in our favor. The more I get to know him, every time I talk to him, I just walk away from the conversation and feel better about myself just because of who he is, and I can work with him.
McDuffie showed versatility in his four seasons with the Chiefs, willing to play whatever role defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had in mind for him — including spending most of the 2023 Super Bowl-winning season in the slot and producing several key plays in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over San Francisco that he was worth LVIII — the Rams’ 2026 first-round pick) to acquire. It’s a move reminiscent of the Rams’ last run to a Super Bowl title, where Snead gave up on adding cornerback Jalen Ramsey before Los Angeles beat Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI, an approach defined by a simple slogan: ‘F— they pick.’
“We love the choice!” McVay said. “Here’s the thing, we’re just not afraid to be able to figure out different ways to get great players that give us value. Sometimes that means a first-round pick, hey, I think it’s a good, smart decision when you go get Trent McDuffie or you go get Matthew Stafford or you go get Jalen Ramsey’s of the World you have the right person. you’re willing to do it with, but that doesn’t mean there’s not tremendous value when you draft Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Puka Nacua, Davis Allen, Warren McClendon were all in that draft a few years ago.
“There are different ways to build a team and what we want to do is just be able to be creative and not just work in individual focus, but have different ways to try to be competitive. It’s been good and since then there have been a lot of decisions that we’ve looked back and said: OK, we would do it differently. That’s what we try to do constantly.”
The most consistent thing about McVay’s time with the Rams is the success they’ve achieved over the past decade: seven playoff appearances in nine years, two NFC titles, one Super Bowl win and, most recently, one heartbreaking loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
McVay was visibly upset after the loss and admitted how confident he was in his team’s chances to win it all. The Rams have acted accordingly since then, bolstering their defense with the goal of preventing another shutout with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
After all, McVay knows the title window will only be open for so long. Much of that depends on how long Stafford will play, yet the Rams don’t seem too concerned about planning for the future. They live in the present and aim to make the most of the opportunities around the corner.
“That’s always the big challenge is you want to make sure you’re maximizing the opportunity you have with him while not being naive, hey, I’m hopeful to be with the Rams for a long time,” McVay said of Stafford. “He’ll be able to play as long as he can, whether it’s one, two more, who knows, he could be one of those guys who plays in his late 40s and I wouldn’t have a problem with that. Those are conversations and discussions that we have a lot and it’s always figuring out that balance of continuing to build and taking advantage of what we’re not exceptional players while we’re not exceptional players. have the luxury of having him as our guy and that’s very important status.”
Very important, actually. There is no better time than now to make the most of it.