Getty Sean McVay talks to Matthew Stafford before the Los Angeles Rams took on the Denver Broncos in their Saturday, August 28 game.
One of the hardest dilemmas Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams faced on final roster day: Which fourth down option to keep on offense.
Those options? Longtime Rams punter Johnny Hekker and fast-riser Corey Bojorquez.
Should the Rams part ways with the former, even after giving the franchise a strong leg for nine seasons including four in St. Louis? Or keep the latter, especially given his past success with booming 60 to 70-yarders on punts? Including a 67-yarder he blasted and the 70-yarder that he sent into the Mile High air on Saturday, August 28 in Denver?
Well, the Rams delivered one last trade that captured NFL headlines: Sending Bojorquez to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for future draft picks.
Trade: Rams sent P Corey Bojorquez and a 2023 7th-round pick to the Packers in exchange for a 6th-round pick in 2023, per source.
McVay spoke less than an hour later to the L.A. media on why Hekker, not Bojorquez, remained on the 2021 Rams roster. McVay pointed to Hekker’s long line of contributions as to why he was chosen to stay.
“I think what Johnny’s done here, as I’ve mentioned before I got here, is something that doesn’t go lost on me and doesn’t go lost on us,” McVay said near the 3:10 mark of the post practice video below. “And I’m confident that he’s going to be the productive player he’s been throughout the course of his career. I know he’s motivated in the right way and we’re excited about him leading the way for us.”
Rams General Manager Explored Trade Options, McVay revealed
One way Hekker has managed to avoid parting ways with the Rams? Reworking deals.
And, McVay confirmed to Gary Klein of the L.A. Times that Hekker restructured his contract to stay on board. Per overthecap.com, Hekker was due to make $4.9 million this season.
But with the renewed deal came figuring out the future for Bojorquez. McVay said general manager Les Snead was instrumental in finding potential suitors for the 24-year-old punter.
“We had two starting punters on our roster and clearly, Corey did an amazing job of maximizing the upside and interest from teams out there knowing that hey, I think both everybody would agree that both he and Johnny are two of the best guys doing what they’re doing,” McVay said. “It’s a very specific position and so Les did a great job of exploring some options.”
Hekker Was Briefly Away From Team
Hekker was without the Rams for the last two Preseason games because of being placed on the reserve/COVD-19 list.
However, Hekker was spotted working out on the Rams’ Thousand Oaks practice field before the 1 p.m. PT Tuesday deadline of cutting down rosters to 53 players – sparking the notion that he was the punter chosen to stay in L.A.
Hekker was still kept away from team drills. McVay was also asked if Hekker returning from the COVID list will slow his process in returning to the Rams fully.
“I don’t think so,” McVay said. “He feels good. We’ve kept in contact with him. He’s kind of remained asymptomatic for the most part. So we’ll get him back sooner than later and I know he’s more motivated than ever to have a great season and do a great job leading the way.”