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NFL Davante Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdown receptions in 2025. Greg Fiume / Getty Images PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Rams are running back much of the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense, but they are not afraid to look for upgrades to fight off complacency. That ideology led them to consider trading one of their biggest stars this offseason: Davante Adams. It also has them eyeing Kirk Cousins as the next backup to Matthew Stafford. Advertisement The Rams were in discussions with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire A. J. Brown, and Mc Vay said they broached the idea of trading Adams — to the point of talking through it with Adams himself. “We really talked about some different avenues of onboarding other players and how it might affect Davante. I’ve talked to Davante about that, and if we felt that it was best for our team, we would have done that, ” Mc Vay said at the NFL’s league meeting in Phoenix. “But we didn’t think it was best for our team, so we’re excited to move forward with him. ” Mc Vay did meet with Adams to talk through the possibility. He felt it was important just one year after recruiting Adams to Los Angeles on a two-year deal. Adams will now enter a contract year that will pay him $28 million this season, when he’ll turn 34 in December. “There’s a lot of narratives that are out there. What I do think is important is to address the things that our players could be affected with. I believe in dealing with those things directly. He’s a grown man, and he’s a great player. At the end of the day, there’s a lot of things going on. We’re always looking at ways to upgrade our roster and feel like we can be as competitive as possible. There’s discussions and dialogues, but it never got to that. ” Adams arrived in Los Angeles as a free agent last year and then became the first player in NFL history to lead the league in receiving touchdowns with three teams. He scored 14 touchdowns in 14 games but also dealt with multiple lower-body injuries that cost him three games. His 789 receiving yards were the lowest he’s had in a season since 2015. Granted, it came with Puka Nacua totaling 1, 715 receiving yards. The Rams rode that duo to the No. 1 scoring offense in the league. Mc Vay also said the Rams are looking at two options to be their backup quarterback next season. One is Jimmy Garoppolo, who held the job for the past two seasons but is currently a free agent weighing different options. The other is Cousins. Advertisement Mc Vay worked with Cousins in Washington from 2012 to 2016, right before he took the Rams’ head-coaching job. Mc Vay was Washington’s offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016, when Cousins first broke out; Cousins led the league in completion percentage in 2015, then reached his first Pro Bowl in 2016 to set up a major contract with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. Cousins is currently a free agent after he was released by the Atlanta Falcons following 22 starts over the past two seasons. Los Angeles watched him up close in Week 17 last season, when he led the Falcons to a 27-24 upset of the Rams. Cousins turns 38 in August and could be an option to back up Stafford, 38, who is fresh off his first MVP award. Stafford is entering the final year of his deal, though Mc Vay said the Rams are working with him on an adjustment to that contract that also depends on how much longer Stafford decides to keep playing. “I’d love to have Jimmy Garoppolo back with us. … Is there an opportunity if it’s not Jimmy, that it’s Kirk Cousins? Of course, I’d love to see what that looks like, ” Mc Vay said. “Those are two guys we’ve talked about. “I’ve communicated with Kirk and (his agent) Mike Mc Cartney, and those are things we’re very interested in possibly exploring. But again, it’s really premature. I know Kirk has some other options and opportunities as well. But he’s a guy I have familiarity with, history and a lot of reverence for. ” Mc Vay made clear after last season that he preferred to bring Garoppolo back as his backup, but he also knew the Rams would face competition for his services. Garoppolo has started 64 games in his career but made just one start in two seasons as Stafford’s backup and could be looking for a better chance at playing time in free agency. “At this point, when there hasn’t been a decision, it feels less likely than likely, ” Mc Vay said of a possible Garoppolo return. “But I don’t want to rule that out. ” Advertisement Cousins could have the same aspirations, but the league only has so many opportunities left for quarterbacks to earn immediate playing time. He could reunite with Mc Vay in Los Angeles and stay ready behind Stafford, who played all 20 games last season but is managing a degenerative back issue. The Rams’ interest in these two quarterbacks is yet another signal of how they view the upcoming season. General manager Les Snead said after the season that he would get more aggressive to maximize Stafford’s remaining window, and he followed up by adding All-Pro cornerback Trent Mc Duffie and his Kansas City Chiefs counterpart, Jaylen Watson, to overhaul a secondary that fell short in the NFC Championship Game. After sending out the No. 29 pick to the Chiefs for Mc Duffie, the Rams still own the No. 13 selection, thanks to last year’s draft day trade with the Falcons. But if the Rams sign Garoppolo or Cousins to be Stafford’s backup, it would suggest they are viewing the quarterback position more in terms of the present than the future, even with Stafford entering his 18th season. “You think about it short- and long-term, ” Mc Vay said of the quarterback position. “Look, (Stafford) has earned the right to be on a year-to-year basis. If he told me that he wanted to play a couple more years, I’d believe him. If he told me one more year, he’s earned that right. We understand that, and we’re grateful that he’s our quarterback. ” Between eyeing a trade for Brown but ultimately passing, by weighing a signing of Cousins and by bringing in Kliff Kingsbury as assistant head coach, the Rams are walking a line between continuity and evolution with an offense that just led the league in scoring. “You’re not going to ask Matthew Stafford to do anything that doesn’t fit within his skill sets. We’re not going to do that with the offensive line, ” Mc Vay said. “But what I do know for certain is if we expect to do the same things we did last year, we’ll be humbled because guys do too good a job with the players and the coaches in this league. “We’re in the mix of evolving and really adding to it, and what does that really look like? That’s what I’m excited to see. ” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Nate Atkins is a Senior Writer for The Athletic covering the Los Angeles Rams. Prior to joining The Athletic, he covered the Indianapolis Colts for the Indianapolis Star, the Detroit Lions for MLive Media Group and the Chicago Bears for Pro Football Weekly. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he was recognized as one of the nation's top-10 beat reporters by the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2023 and 2024, including a No. 1 overall finish in 2023. He grew up in Northeast Ohio, just 50 miles away from Le Bron James.