There's no team in the NFL that loves to trade draft picks more than the Los Angeles Rams, and apparently, they tried to trade two big ones away at some point over the past few weeks.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Rams make a massive trade offer for Panthers defensive end Brian Burns. The deal would have included at least two first-round picks, but it didn't happen because Carolina reportedly shot down the offer.
Not only did the Rams offer their 2024 and 2025 first-round picks, but apparently, they were willing to pay even more than that.
"The Rams made a massive offer, I'm talking about more than two first-round picks for Burns," Breer said during an interview with ESPN 1000 in Chicago on Tuesday.
It appears the Rams made the offer at some point in the past few weeks. Back on Oct. 23, it was reported that the Panthers had turned down a monstrous offer for Burns, but at the time, it wasn't known which NFL team made the offer.
The Rams were hoping to pair Burns with All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald to create what would have been one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL. Burns, who was the 16th overall pick in the 2019 draft, has been nearly unblockable during his first three-plus seasons in the NFL. Not only did he have nine sacks in each of the past two seasons, but he also racked up 7.5 sacks as a rookie. A Pro Bowler last year, CBS Sports named him one of the 25 best players under 25 this offseason.
Last season, the Rams made one of the biggest splashes of the NFL trade deadline when they acquired Von Miller from the Broncos. Miller ended up being a key defensive piece that helped catapult the Rams to a Super Bowl win. However, Miller left in free agency after the 2021 season and his pass-rushing ability has been sorely missed, which is one big reason why the Rams were likely willing to pay so much to get Burns.
The Rams have totaled just 15 sacks this season, which ranks in the bottom half of the NFL through eight weeks.
If the Rams had made a trade for Burns, it would have continued an unprecedented run of dealing away their first-round picks. The team has not had a first-round pick since 2016, when they drafted Jared Goff.
Here's a look at what the Rams have done with their first-round picks since 2017:
2017: Gave this pick away in the Goff deal.
2018: Traded this pick away to acquire Brandin Cooks from New England.
2019: Traded this pick away in a draft day trade with the Falcons.
2020: Traded this pick away to land Jalen Ramsey from the Jaguars.
2021: Traded this pick away to land Jalen Ramsey from the Jaguars.
2022: Traded this pick away to land Matthew Stafford from the Lions.
2023: Traded this pick away to land Matthew Stafford from the Lions.
Sean McVay has been the coach of the Rams since 2017 and he's NEVER had a first-round pick in his time with the team. Despite that, the Rams' strategy of trading away high picks for star players has clearly been working, with the team reaching two Super Bowls and winning one over the past four seasons.
