The Los Angeles Rams did not make any moves at the 2026 trade deadline, but speculation around the team ensnared many players on the current roster, including Pro Bowl outside linebacker Byron Young.
Young did not appreciate the chatter.
“Fans always so quick to trade me…wild,” Young posted on X on November 10, reacting to one fan’s suggestion that the Rams include him in a package to replenish their depleted wide receiver corps before the trade deadline.
That fan was hardly alone, with some name-dropping him in hypothetical trade scenarios for Dallas Cowboys star George Pickens.
Young, 28, is a former third-round pick whom the Rams selected 77th overall in 2023.
In a lost season, it might make some sense to move the 2025 Pro Bowler to replace some previously spent draft capital and avoid the significant raise that he is due while in the final year of his contract ahead of unrestricted free agency in 2027.
Spotrac projects his market value at $30 million annually, with a four-year, $120 million pact as a potential baseline framework.
The Rams are not throwing in the towel on this season, though. Not at 5-4 entering Week 10.
Young is one of nine players on the Rams’ roster who have started all nine of their games this season. That durability is not an aberration, either. So far, Young has never missed a game in his NFL career.
He has provided stability for a Rams defense and team that has missed Myles Garrett for most of the season, Trent McDuffie for multiple games, and Jaylen Watson for the rest of the way.
Rams Take Risk With Byron Young
By not dealing Young, and making it clear through their inaction that he and their other players on expiring deals would not be receiving them before next offseason, the Rams have exposed themselves to inherent risk. Players take such decisions in different ways.
They may understand doing so for the greater good. Opinions can change when the aftermath shows there were clear holes in the team’s plan, such as a lack of depth at wide receiver.
If that ultimately ends up being what does the Rams in, changes could be in order next season.
That is not to suggest that Young would not be open to re-signing with the Rams. He has shown no signs of that being the case. However, the team will look different, and with that will come different expectations.
Rams Cap Situation Looms Large
Financial constraints also loom large for the Rams after their offseason trade and spending sprees to secure Garrett, McDuffie, and Watson.
Young is also not the only high-profile player the Rams face such a cold reality with.
Wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, both of whom are injured and expected to miss multiple weeks still, are also both on expiring contracts, as is starting defensive lineman Kobie Turner, and starting offensive linemen Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila.
That tally does not include Aaron Donald, who unretired for this season and is on a one-year deal with the Rams.
Rams Starter Speaks Out After ‘Wild’ Trade Deadline Speculation