Tag: Van Jefferson

Van Jefferson trade grades: Who won deal between the Rams and Falcons?

Former Rams WR Van Jefferson is now a Falcon. Let’s break down how that trade went for both sides.

The Atlanta Falcons bolstered their wide receiver room on Tuesday by acquiring Los Angeles Rams 2020 second-round pick Van Jefferson via a trade.

The former Florida wideout had a breakout season in 2021 where he caught 50 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns as the Rams won Super Bowl 56 that following February.

However, Jefferson’s role diminished this season as 2023 fifth-round pick Puca Nacua emerged as Los Angeles’ primary receiving option while elite wideout Cooper Kupp was on injured reserve.

However, Kupp is now back with the Rams, and Jefferson has been sent to the Falcons for the remainder of his rookie contract.

Let’s break down this deal and how it impacts both parties.

Salary cap impact of Rams trading Van Jefferson to Falcons

How much cap space will the Rams free up by trading Van Jefferson to the Falcons

For the second time this season, the Los Angeles Rams have traded one of the players they selected in the second round of the 2020 draft. First, it was Cam Akers, who the Rams sent to the Vikings, and now it’s Van Jefferson who’s on the move.

The Rams are trading Jefferson to the Falcons in a swap of 2025 draft picks, with the Rams getting a sixth-rounder and the Falcons getting Los Angeles’ seventh. The Rams obviously don’t get much in return for the fourth-year receiver, but they do clear some cap space with this move.

Jefferson’s remaining base salary comes off the books for Los Angeles, which amounts to $993,167. That’s accounting for the five weeks the Rams have already paid him, at a rate of $76,398 per week (base salary is paid out across 18 weeks).

So the Rams clear $993,167 in cap space for the rest of 2023 after taking on $792,195 in dead money, which is what they already paid Jefferson this year in the form of a signing bonus and his salary. This trade won’t impact the 2024 cap at all because Jefferson will be a free agent next year.

The Rams now have $6.1 million in cap space for 2023 after trading away Jefferson, according to Over The Cap.

Bucs could face new Falcons wide receiver in Week 7

Tampa Bay will likely have a new wideout to contend with when it faces off against the Falcons in two weeks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might see a new face on the Atlanta Falcons when they play them on Oct. 22 in Raymond James Stadium.

The Falcons completed a trade on Tuesday for former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson, swapping sixth and seventh-round picks with the Rams in the process. Jefferson joins Atlanta weapons like WR Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts.

In three games against the Bucs (only two of which he caught a pass), Jefferson has caught five balls for 49 yards and a touchdown on 9.8 yards per reception. As such, Tampa Bay might not be as familiar with Jefferson, but interestingly enough, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield is — Jefferson’s last touchdown grab in the NFL came from a Mayfield pass last year against the Las Vegas Raiders when Mayfield played for Los Angeles.

As he was just traded, it’s unknown if Jefferson intends to play for Atlanta against the Commanders in Week 6. If he doesn’t, he would surely debut for the team in Week 7 against the Bucs.

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Rams are trading Van Jefferson to Falcons for 2025 pick swap

The Rams are sending Van Jefferson to the Falcons in a swap of 6th- and 7th-round picks in 2025

The Los Angeles Rams have parted ways with another member of their 2020 draft class. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, they’re trading wide receiver Van Jefferson to the Atlanta Falcons.

The teams will swap sixth- and seventh-round picks in the 2025 draft, so the return for Los Angeles is minimal. The Rams get the Falcons’ sixth and Atlanta gets a seventh from the Rams in addition to Jefferson.

Jefferson’s role shrunk considerably on Sunday after Cooper Kupp returned, dropping Van to fourth on the depth chart. Jefferson played just two snaps as a result and wasn’t targeted a single time.

Jefferson was drafted by the Rams in the second round of the 2020 draft, going No. 57 overall. He helped the team win a Super Bowl in 2021 when he caught a career-high 50 passes for 802 yards during the regular season, but he missed six games last year due to a knee injury and hasn’t been very productive since.

5 potential landing spots for Van Jefferson if Rams trade him

The Rams are looking to trade Van Jefferson and these 5 teams could be potential suitors

Like Cam Akers, Van Jefferson could be on the move. The Los Angeles Rams are looking to trade the fourth-year receiver, who played just two snaps against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday’s loss.

With Cooper Kupp back, Jefferson has dropped to fourth on the depth chart and isn’t expected to play many snaps moving forward. Hence, the Rams’ willingness to move him in a contract year.

Wide receivers carry more value than running backs, so Jefferson should fetch more than Akers did, but the Rams shouldn’t expect to get a ton for him. If they do trade Jefferson, these five teams could be potential suitors.

(Update: Jefferson is being traded to the Falcons)

Report: Rams are looking to trade Van Jefferson

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Rams are looking to trade Van Jefferson.

Van Jefferson is in a contract year and it appears his time with the Los Angeles Rams is nearing an end. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Rams are looking to find a trade partner for Jefferson.

It has been a disappointing start to the season for Jefferson, who has just eight receptions for 108 yards on 15 targets through the first five weeks. Even with Cooper Kupp sidelined for the first four weeks, Jefferson’s role in the offense was minimal due to the emergence of rookie Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell.

Upon Kupp making his season debut on Sunday versus the Philadelphia Eagles, Jefferson played a season-low two offensive snaps. Jefferson has been relegated to No. 4 on the depth chart at wide receiver, so it was only a matter of time before trade rumors began to unfold.

 

A knee injury sidelined Jefferson for six games in 2022, limiting him to 24 catches, 369 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. But during the Super Bowl run in 2021, Jefferson registered career-high marks in receptions (50), receiving yards (802), and receiving touchdowns (6).

There are plenty of receiver-needy teams across the league, with the Minnesota Vikings and the Carolina Panthers being among the teams that make sense for the former second-round pick. With the trade deadline at the end of October, Jefferson and the Rams are looking to find him a new home for the rest of the season.

Sean McVay explains why Van Jefferson saw only 2 snaps vs. Eagles

Van Jefferson played on only 2 snaps in the Rams’ loss against the Eagles in Week 5 and Sean McVay explained why.

Cooper Kupp’s return to the Los Angeles Rams meant that someone in the offense was going to see their role drastically change, and that player was Van Jefferson in Week 5. Following the loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sean McVay discussed why Jefferson received only two offensive snaps for the Rams on Sunday.

“It was a really unique game because you look at it, there was eight total possessions on each side,” McVay said Monday. “There were six possessions really in the initial parts of the game, especially offensively where you’re talking about 45 snaps with a handful of minutes left in the game where we were in like two-minute mode. You start off the game, you have a 14-play touchdown drive, then you have a six play second drive where we end up missing on that third down, and then you have a six-play touchdown drive in two minute, and then you’re into the second half and you really have three more possessions. You get Cooper back in the mix and there were just fewer opportunities. Based on how the game unfolded, that was kind of how it went down. If you had asked me before, did I anticipate him playing that few snaps, I would’ve not said that but that was kind of how it unfolded.”

Entering the matchup versus the Eagles, it was known that one of the Rams’ receivers was going to see fewer snaps with Kupp back on the field. Rookie Puka Nacua has been fantastic through the first five weeks, and Tutu Atwell has emerged as a valuable weapon, making Jefferson expendable in the offense.

Even before Kupp made his season debut on Sunday, Jefferson had only eight receptions for 108 yards on 15 targets in the first four games. The former second-round pick failed to record a target on his two snaps against the Eagles, marking the first time he hasn’t had a target since Week 8 of last season.

At the moment, Jefferson is clearly the No. 4 receiver on the depth chart behind Kupp, Nacua, and Atwell. While McVay said he didn’t plan on having Jefferson play only two snaps in Week 5, it’s hard to expect his playing time to improve drastically unless one of the starters suffers an injury.

Rams Week 5 snap counts: Van Jefferson barely plays, drops to WR4

With Cooper Kupp back, Van Jefferson’s role has vanished. He played just two snaps as the No. 4 receiver.

All eyes were on Cooper Kupp as he made his 2023 debut against the Philadelphia Eagles, with everyone wondering A) how much he would play and B) how his return would impact Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and the Rams’ other receivers.

Nacua’s role wasn’t impacted much, seeing as he still played every single snap on offense, but the same can’t be said about Van Jefferson. In the first four games of the season, Jefferson’s role had already shrunk but against the Eagles, he hit a new low.

He played just two snaps in the loss and wasn’t targeted a single time. Even Ben Skowronek played more snaps (6) and was targeted once.

On defense, Byron Young played slightly fewer snaps than normal with Ochaun Mathis also making his NFL debut, but not much else changed on that side of the ball. Below is a ful look at the snap counts from the Rams’ 23-14 loss.

Studs and duds from Rams’ 23-14 loss to Eagles

Here are our studs and duds from the Rams’ 24-13 loss to the Eagles in Week 5.

The Los Angeles Rams were unable to upset the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 at home, losing the game, 23-14. With the loss on Sunday, the Rams have now fallen to 2-3 on the season ahead of a Week 6 meeting with the Arizona Cardinals.

The defense failed to get off of the field at times as the Eagles converted 13 of their 18 third downs. On top of that, the Eagles had the ball for nearly 38 minutes in the game, controlling the time of possession throughout Sunday’s matchup.

Following the team’s third loss of the season, here are our studs and duds from the Rams’ 23-14 loss to the Eagles in Week 5.

11 wide receivers the Panthers could trade for to pump up Bryce Young

One of these receivers might help Bryce Young in a TERRIBLE Panthers situation.

The Carolina Panthers are quickly learning a valuable lesson this season. It’s never smart to develop a young quarterback without a life raft. In this case, we’re talking about Bryce Young — Carolina’s hopeful talisman signal-caller and the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft.

Through four games, Young has looked lost in an impossible situation. In three starts (he missed one due to injury), Young’s composite expected points added (EPA) and completion percentage over expected (CPOE) are 25th in the NFL. He is just barely eclipsing 2023 Justin Fields and Daniel Jones in this metric — some of the last quarterback company anyone should want to keep. If that weren’t enough, Young is averaging a paltry 4.9 yards per pass attempt, has just 503 yards passing, and has been sacked 11 times (!).

The rub is, I’m not even sure it’s his fault.

After trading away D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears for last spring’s top pick, the Panthers should’ve known Young wouldn’t have a lot of help at the jump. (Never mind that they also traded away their 2024 first-round selection, which could’ve been used on a receiver like Ohio State’s “generational” Marvin Harrison Jr.) A skill group led by a kinda-but-not-really revitalized Adam Thielen is uninspiring and can’t nearly create enough consistent separation. An offensive line led by former top-six pick Ikem Ekwonu has been disappointing, to be kind. To be mean and accurate, Carolina currently employs five toll booth turnstiles hanging their quarterback out to dry every Sunday.

No quarterback could logically thrive in this kind of situation. That goes tenfold for a player like Young adjusting to and learning the speed and complexity of the professional game. How are you supposed to develop good habits if everything crumbles around you on a whim? It’s still early, but it’s becoming apparent that Carolina may already have stunted the person who was supposed to elevate their franchise.

But it’s not too late to reverse course. It looks like the Panthers may have recognized their grave mistake in Young’s early development.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Carolina and general manager Scott Fitterer are actively looking for a starting wide receiver in a trade. If the Panthers can add even one genuine playmaker for Young, it might suffice to keep him above water and help him progress. At this rate, pulling out all the stops to try and ensure Young reaches his potential isn’t the worst idea.

With that in mind, let’s break down a few receivers who could be on the trade block in the coming weeks. The deadline is a spooky October 31. The Panthers have all the time in the world to evaluate whether they want to take a swing at anyone on this list.