mcduffie

Unless they are in Maui, as they were last year, Rams coach Sean McVay annually opts to cancel mandatory minicamps after the initial report day.

This year, McVay avoided any pretense of suspense.

On Thursday, he announced to his players that after fulfilling some broadcast media responsibilities on Monday, they would not have a minicamp and break until they report to training camp at Loyola Marymount in late July, a Rams official said.

McVay’s announcement came about a week after San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan canceled minicamp, and Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald did the same.

The Rams play the 49ers in their Sept. 10 season opener in Melbourne, Australia.

So Thursday’s final practice of organized team activities — the offseason program is voluntary — wrapped up the offseason for a team that advanced to the NFC championship game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks.

Now, after trading for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and end Myles Garrett — a two-time NFL defensive player of the year — the Rams will enter the season as a favorite to play in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium.

“We’re not naïve to the things that are said,” McVay said this week, “but that doesn’t affect us and we have to be humble. … You acknowledge it, but you also understand that that means absolutely nothing.”

The Rams made news on several fronts while building what is arguably the NFL most star-studded roster.

In March, star receiver Puka Nacua checked into a rehab facility after several incidents during and after the season. One incident led to a civil lawsuit by a woman who alleges that Nacua made an antisemetic remark during a group dinner and later bit her during a ride in a vehicle.

The Rams sent the No. 29 pick in the 2026 draft and three other picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for McDuffie, and then gave him an extension that makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. The Rams also signed free agent cornerback Jaylen Watson, McDuffie’s former teammate on two Super Bowl championship teams.

The Rams then stunned many by selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simspon with the 13th pick in the draft, leading to an awkward news conference that featured a dour McVay, who later explained that he was attempting to be respectful of quarterback Matthew Stafford’s status as the team leader.

A few weeks later, the Rams signed Stafford — the reigning NFL MVP — to a one-year, $55-million extension through the 2027 season.

And then came the trade for Garrett.

The Rams sent edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick and future second- and third-round picks to the Cleveland Browns for Garrett, who last season amassed an NFL record 23 sacks.

“The biggest thing is that this organization really trusts and is buying into this year,” safety Quentin Lake said this week. “You look at how close we were last year, and it gives you the confidence to say what will take us the extra step.”

The Rams plans for a smooth transition to training camp, however, were roiled this week when veteran left tackle Alaric Jackson was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence.

In August 2024, the NFL suspended Jackson for two games for an unspecified violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.

Three months later, a woman filed a lawsuit against Jackson alleging that in May of that year he recorded her without her consent during sex. The woman alleged that Jackson repeatedly refused to delete the video and then taunted her with it. The woman reported the incident to the NFL, but the civil case was dismissed.

If the NFL were to determine that Jackson violated its personal conduct policy, he could be subject to a six-game suspension or banishment from the league, with an opportunity to appeal.

Jackson, who joined the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2021, signed a three-year deal with the team in February 2025 that included $35 million in guarantees. He is scheduled to earn $18.4 million this season.

Warren McClendon Jr., a fourth-year pro who started in place of Jackson in the past, has mostly played right tackle, and he is expected to start at that spot now that Rob Havenstein has retired.

David Quessenberry is a nine-year veteran, but he played as a full-time starter only once — in 2021 — and has not started a game in the last two seasons. The Rams selected offensive lineman Keagen Trost in the third round

So the Rams have plenty to ponder before regrouping for training camp, the start of a process they aim to complete with another Super Bowl title.

Aaron Donald has made no public pronouncements that he will remain retired or return to play for the Rams.

But the three-time NFL defensive player of the year and future hall of famer remains a hot topic, and Rams players are aware of the buzz.

“When you have a guy that’s that serious about even considering coming out, it’s like ‘OK, we might have a chance,’” safety Quentin Lake said Monday after the Rams completed an organized-team activity workout.

Chatter about Donald, 35, has been rampant since last week, when the Rams made another gigantic offseason move by trading for defensive end Myles Garrett.

The possibility of pairing Donald with Garrett — a two-time defensive player of the year — continues to intrigue both in and out of the Rams’ facility.

Like Lake, defensive lineman Kobie Turner insistently cautioned that whatever Donald decides to do or not do was his former teammate’s prerogative.

But the possibilities…

“To just have two historic, if you will, defensive players on that line together,” Turner said of pairing Donald and Garrett, “and to have the rest of us who are trying to build up our reputations, and to build to that level of greatness that they’ve been able to garner, I think that would be cool for L.A.”

Said defensive coordinator Chris Shula: “Would love to have him back — with open arms.”

Shula enters his third season overseeing a defense remade by the March trade for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, the signing of cornerback Jaylen Watson and the trade for Garrett.

With or without Donald, the Rams are regarded as a favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, which will be played in February at SoFi Stadium.

But the Rams are not hoisting the Lombardi Trophy just yet, Lake said.

“Some people say if he were to come back, just hand the Lombardi to us on a silver platter — but that’s never the case,” Lake said. “Is he a fantastic player? Yes.

“Are there so many things we could do in terms of pressures and blitzes and all that stuff? Of course. … It would be a fun year, I’ll say that.”

With quarterback Matthew Stafford — the NFL most valuable player — back to lead the offense, and McDuffie and Watson solving the team’s greatest weakness, the Rams already were regarded among the favorites to play in the Super Bowl for the first time since winning Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in 2022.

Then general manager Les Snead engineered the deal for Garrett, sending edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick and future second- and third-round picks to the Cleveland Browns for a player who has 125½ sacks in nine seasons.

Lake, Turner and Shula lamented losing Verse — “a brother for life,” Turner said — but they have welcomed Garrett.

“You give a great player to get a great player,” Lake said, “and luckily, we’ve got arguably the best defensive player in the NFL. … We’re not asking Myles to do anything but just be himself.”

Last season, Garrett amassed an NFL season record 23 sacks.

Rams defensive end Myles Garrett sits between Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay, right, during a news conference on June 2.

(Ric Tapia / For The Times)

“We’re going to let him do what he does best,” Shula said, “and we all know exactly what he does best.”

McDuffie and Watson were part of Kansas City Chiefs teams that played in three consecutive Super Bowls, winning titles in 2023 and 2024. Those teams featured dominating pass rusher Chris Jones, so McDuffie knows how a player such as Garrett enables the defense to “flip the script” and attack offenses.

“You just talk about mentality,” McDuffie said, “and a swag.”

Donald, who has 111 sacks, would certainly add to that.

Not every player in their mid-30s could return and play at a high level after sitting out two seasons.

“I don’t think you do that if you’re a normal person,” Turner said, chuckling. “But A.D.’s not a normal person.”