The Rams came out of nowhere to sign Allen Robinson in free agency, swooping in and landing the top receiver left on the market. Given his talent and past production, Robinson probably had his share of suitors, but the Rams won out by giving him a great opportunity to win a Super Bowl and play with a proven quarterback.
Sean McVay was at the center of the recruiting pitch, too. At first, he didn’t believe the Rams could afford Robinson, telling Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated that in a recent interview.
“We won’t be able to afford him, no (expletive) way,” McVay told Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp when they pitched Robinson to him.
It’s clear McVay didn’t take this recruiting process lightly.
“I was selling my (expletive) balls off to this guy,” he said.
McVay couldn’t be more excited to have Robinson in Los Angeles, and the fact that his players – namely Stafford and Kupp – were so into the idea of signing the receiver made it even better. McVay trusts his players’ opinions, always listening to what they might say, whether it’s about game planning or a player they should target.
“And that’s where the more you get comfortable with people, the more comfortable they are with really being able to help,” McVay said. “Then you can have it where they know, I’m really gonna listen to you. That’s really where things come to fruition. It’s when you’ve got two guys, hey, they had such respect for Allen Robinson, and then you start seeing it through their lens, and you realize, Man, these guys are as important as anybody.”
Robinson will be the Rams’ No. 2 receiver alongside Cooper Kupp this year, with Van Jefferson likely remaining the third option. If Odell Beckham Jr. is eventually signed, he’ll make an already-strong receiving corps even better.