When the Los Angeles Rams signed Allen Robinson in free agency, rumors began to circulate that Robert Woods could be on his way out considering the team’s salary cap situation.
The Rams extended Matthew Stafford to a lucrative deal, and are currently working on an extension for Aaron Donald. With financial commitments to their stars on both sides of the field, trading Woods made sense from a salary cap perspective.
Ultimately, Los Angeles sent Woods to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick but according to Turron Davenport of ESPN, Woods was able to choose his new home:
“They told me I’d have a say in where I’d be traded,” Woods said at his introductory news conference. “I did my research and spoke with past players that were here. And just having a relationship with Todd Downing and Rob Moore already from being in Buffalo. Then Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, A.J. Brown … they’re a top-performing team and the Coach of the Year [Mike Vrabel], so joining this team is beneficial for my career.”
The Titans are the perfect landing spot for Woods as they had a hole at receiver after they released veteran Julio Jones. Tennessee also utilizes similar play-action concepts head coach Sean McVay is known for, and because Woods is so good at blocking, he should fit in well schematically.
It was good that the Rams front office did right by Woods to let him choose his landing spot, but his loss is one that can not be measured by on-field production. The SoCal native was one of the team’s leaders and his voice carried a lot of weight in the locker room. While Los Angeles should remain one of the elite teams in the 2022 season, losing Woods is a gut punch and he will be dearly missed.
