Los Angeles Rams

The Cleveland Rams were founded in 1936 by Ohio attorney Homer Marshman and player-coach Damon Wetzel, a former Ohio State star who played briefly for the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Pirates. Wetzel, who served as general manager, selected the "Rams", because his favorite college football team was the Fordham Rams from Fordham University; Marshman, the principal owner, also liked the name choice.[11] The team was part of the newly formed American Football League and finished the 1936 regular season in second place with a 5–2–2 record, trailing only the 8–3 record of league champion Boston Shamrocks. The team featured players such as William "Bud" Cooper, Harry "The Horse" Mattos, Stan Pincura, and Mike Sebastian.[12]

The Rams joined the National Football League on February 12, 1937, and were assigned to the Western Division.[13] The Rams would be the fourth in a string of short-lived teams based in Cleveland, following the Cleveland Tigers, Cleveland Bulldogs, and Cleveland Indians. From the beginning, they were a team marked by frequent moves, playing in three stadiums over several losing seasons. However, the team featured the Most Valuable Player of the 1939 season, rookie halfback Parker Hall.[14]

In June 1941, the Rams were bought by Dan Reeves and Fred Levy Jr. Reeves, an heir to his family's grocery-chain business that had been purchased by Safeway, used some of his inheritance to buy his share of the team. Levy's family owned the Levy Brothers department store chain in Kentucky and he came to own the Riverside International Raceway. Levy owned part of the Rams with Bob Hope, another of the owners, until Reeves bought out his partners in 1962.[15]

The franchise suspended operations and sat out the 1943 season because of a shortage of players during World War II and resumed playing in 1944.[16]

The team finally achieved success in 1945, which was their last season in Ohio. Adam Walsh took over as head coach that season. Quarterback Bob Waterfield, a rookie from UCLA, passed, ran, and place-kicked his way to the league's Most Valuable Player award and helped the Rams achieve a 9–1 record and win their first NFL Championship, a 15–14 home field victory over the Washington Redskins on December 16. The margin of victory was provided by a safety: Redskins great Sammy Baugh's pass bounced off the goal post, then backward, through his team's own end zone. The next season, NFL rules were changed to prevent this from ever again resulting in a score; instead, it would merely result in an incomplete pass.[17]

On January 12, 1946, Reeves was denied a request by the other NFL owners to move the Cleveland Rams to Los Angeles and the then-103,000-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[18] He threatened to end his relationship with the NFL and get out of the professional football business altogether unless the transfer to Los Angeles was permitted.[18][19][20] A settlement was reached and, as a result, Reeves was allowed to move his team to Los Angeles.[18][21][22][23] Consequently, the NFL became the first professional coast-to-coast sports entertainment industry.[18]

From 1933, when Joe Lillard left the Chicago Cardinals, through 1946, there were no black players in professional American football.[24] After the Rams had received approval to move to Los Angeles, they entered into negotiations to lease the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rams were advised that a precondition to them getting a lease was that they would have to integrate the team with at least one African-American; the Rams agreed.[25][26][27][28] Subsequently, the Rams signed Kenny Washington on March 21, 1946.[29][30][31] The signing of Washington caused "all hell to break loose" among the owners of the NFL franchises.[32] The Rams added a second black player, Woody Strode, on May 7, 1946, giving them two black players going into the 1946 season.

The Rams were the first team in the NFL to play in Los Angeles (the 1926 Los Angeles Buccaneers represented L.A. but were strictly a traveling team), but they were not the only professional football team to play its home games in the Coliseum between 1946 and 1949. The upstart All-America Football Conference had the Los Angeles Dons compete there as well. Reeves was taking a gamble that Los Angeles was ready for its own professional football team—and suddenly there were two in the City of Angels. Reeves was proven to be correct when the Rams played their first pre-season game against the Washington Redskins in front of a crowd of 95,000 fans. The team finished their first season in L.A. with a 6–4–1 record, second place behind the Chicago Bears. At the end of the season Walsh was fired as head coach. The Coliseum was home for the Rams for more than 30 years, but the facility was already over 20 years old on the day of the first kickoff.

In 1948, halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the Rams' helmets, making the first helmet emblem in pro football.[33] Late in 1949, the Dons were folded into the Rams when the All-America Football Conference ceased operations.[34]

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch spent nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams from 1949 to 1957

The Rams' first heyday in Southern California was from 1949 to 1955, when they played in the pre-Super Bowl era NFL Championship Game four times, winning once in 1951. During this period, they had the best offense in the NFL, even though there was a quarterback change from Bob Waterfield to Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. The defining Offensive players of this period were wide receiver Elroy Hirsch, Van Brocklin and Waterfield. Teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Tom Fears, Hirsch helped create the style of Rams football as one of the first big play receivers. During the 1951 championship season, Hirsch posted a stunning 1,495 receiving yards with 17 touchdowns. The popularity of this wide-open offense enabled the Los Angeles Rams to become the first pro football team to have all their games televised in 1950.

Hall of Fame WR Tom Fears, attended Manual Arts High School (in L.A.) and UCLA

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Rams went from being the only major professional sports franchise in Southern California and Los Angeles to being one of five. The Los Angeles Dodgers moved from Brooklyn in 1958, the Los Angeles Chargers of the upstart AFL was established in 1960, the Los Angeles Lakers moved from Minneapolis in 1960, and the Los Angeles Angels were awarded to Gene Autry in 1961. In spite of this, the Rams continued to thrive in Southern California. In the first two years after the Dodgers moved to California, the Rams drew an average of 83,681 in 1958 and 74,069 in 1959. The Rams were so popular in Los Angeles that the upstart Chargers chose to move to San Diego rather than attempt to compete with the Rams. The Los Angeles Times put the Chargers plight as such: "Hilton [the Chargers owner at the time] quickly realized that taking on the Rams in L.A. was like beating his head against the wall."[35]

During this time, the Rams were not as successful on the field as they had been during their first decade. The team's combined record from 1957 to 1964 was 24–35–1 (.408), but the Rams continued to fill the cavernous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum regularly. While the National Football League's average attendance ranged from the low 30,000s to the low 40,000s during this time, the Rams were drawing anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 fans more than the league average. In 1957, the Rams set the all-time NFL attendance record that stood until 2006 and broke the 100,000 mark twice during the 1958 campaign.[36][37]

The 1960s were defined by the great defensive line of Rosey Grier, Merlin Olsen, Deacon Jones, and Lamar Lundy, dubbed the "Fearsome Foursome." It was this group of players who restored the on-field luster of the franchise in 1967 when the Rams reached (but lost) the conference championship under head coach George Allen. That 1967 squad became the first NFL team to surpass one million spectators in a season, a feat the Rams repeated the following year. In each of those two years, the L.A. Rams drew roughly double the number of fans that could be accommodated by their current stadium for a full season.

George Allen led the Rams from 1966 to 1970 and introduced many innovations, including the hiring of a young Dick Vermeil as one of the first special teams coaches. Though Allen would enjoy five straight winning seasons and win two divisional titles in his time with the Rams he never won a playoff game with the team, losing in 1967 to Green Bay 28–7 and in 1969 23–20 to Minnesota. Allen would leave after the 1970 season to take the head coaching job for the Washington Redskins.

The Rams playing against the Vikings in the 1977 NFC Divisional Playoffs.

Quarterback Roman Gabriel played 11 seasons for the Rams from 1962 to 1972. From 1967 to 1971, Gabriel led the Rams to either a first- or second-place finish in their division every year. He was voted the MVP of the NFL in 1969, for a season in which he threw for 2,549 yards and 24 TDs while leading the Rams to the playoffs. During the 1970 season, Gabriel combined with his primary receiver Jack Snow for 51 receptions totaling 859 yards. This was the best of their eight seasons as teammates.

In 1972, Chicago industrialist Robert Irsay purchased the Rams for $19 million and then traded the franchise to Carroll Rosenbloom for his Baltimore Colts and cash. The Rams remained solid contenders in the 1970s, winning seven straight NFC West championships between 1973 and 1979. Though they clearly were the class of the NFC in the 1970s along with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, they lost the first four conference championship games they played in that decade, losing twice each to Minnesota (1974, 1976) and Dallas (1975, 1978) and failing to win a league championship.

Jack Youngblood giving his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech in 2001

The Rams' head coach for this run was Chuck Knox, who led the team through 1977. His teams featured unremarkable offenses carried into the playoffs annually by elite defensive units. The defining player of the 1970s L.A. Rams was Jack Youngblood. Youngblood was called the 'Perfect Defensive End' by fellow Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen. His toughness was legendary, notably playing on a broken leg during the Rams' run to the 1980 Super Bowl. His blue-collar ethic stood in opposition to the perception that the Rams were a soft 'Hollywood' team. However, several Rams players from this period took advantage of their proximity to Hollywood and crossed over into acting after their playing careers ended. Most notable of these was Fred Dryer, who starred in the TV series Hunter from 1984 to 1991, as well as Olsen, who retired after 1976, starred in Little House on the Prairie. During the 1977 off-season, the Rams, looking for a veteran quarterback, acquired Joe Namath from the Jets. In spite of a 2–1 start to the regular season, Namath's bad knees rendered him nearly immobile and after a Monday night defeat in Chicago, he never played again. With Pat Haden at the helm, the Rams won the division and advanced to the playoffs, but lost at home to Minnesota. Chuck Knox left for the Bills in 1978, after which Ray Malavasi became head coach. Going 12–4, the team won the NFC West for the sixth year in a row and defeated the Vikings, thus avenging their earlier playoff defeat. However, success eluded them again as they were shut out in the NFC Championship by the Cowboys.

It was the Rams' weakest divisional winner (an aging 1979 team that only achieved a 9–7 record) that achieved the team's greatest success in that period. Led by third-year quarterback Vince Ferragamo, the Rams shocked the heavily favored and two-time defending NFC champion Dallas Cowboys 21–19 in the divisional playoffs, then shut out the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9–0 in the conference championship game to win the NFC and reach their first Super Bowl. Along with Ferragamo, key players for the Rams were halfback Wendell Tyler, offensive lineman Jackie Slater, and Pro Bowl defenders Jack Youngblood and Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds.

The Rams' opponent in their first Super Bowl was the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was a virtual home game for the Rams as it was played in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. Although some oddsmakers set the Rams as a 101⁄2-point underdog, the Rams played Pittsburgh very tough, leading at halftime 13–10 and at the end of the third quarter 19–17. In the end, however, the Steelers asserted themselves, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and shutting down the Rams offense to win their fourth Super Bowl, 31–19.

The Rams playing in their inaugural season at Anaheim Stadium in 1980.

Prior to the 1979 NFL season, owner Carroll Rosenbloom died in a drowning accident, and his widow, Georgia Frontiere, inherited 70 percent ownership of the team. Frontiere then fired stepson Steve Rosenbloom and assumed total control of Rams operations. As had been planned prior to Rosenbloom's death, the Rams moved from their longtime home at the Coliseum to Anaheim Stadium in nearby Orange County in 1980.

Dickerson (29) rushing through the Cowboys' defense in the 1985 NFC Divisional Playoff game.

The reason for the move was twofold. First, the NFL's blackout rule in effect then (repealed in 2015) forbade games from being shown on local television if they did not sell out within 72 hours of the opening kickoff. As the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum seated 92,604 at the time, it was rarely possible to sell that many tickets even in the Rams' best years, and so most Rams home games were blacked out. Second, this move was following the population pattern in Southern California. During the 1970s and 1980s, the decline of manufacturing industries in the northeastern United States combined with the desire of many people to live in a warmer climate caused a large-scale population shift to the southern and western states. As a result, many affluent new suburbs were built in the Los Angeles area. Anaheim Stadium was originally built in 1966 to be the home of the California Angels. To accommodate the Rams' move, the ballpark was reconfigured and enclosed to accommodate a capacity of 69,008 in the football configuration. With their new, smaller home, the Rams had no problem selling out games.

In 1980, the team posted an 11–5 record, but only managed a wild card spot and were sent packing after a loss to the Cowboys. Age and injuries finally caught up with the Rams in 1981, as they only won six games and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years; adding to the woes was Ferragamo being wrested away by the CFL's Montreal Alouettes that year (although he returned the following season). After the 1982 season was shortened to nine games by a strike, the Rams went 2–7, the worst record in the NFC.

In 1982, the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles and took up residence in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The combined effect of these two moves was to divide the Rams' traditional fan base in two. This was coupled with the early 1980s being rebuilding years for the club, while the Raiders were winners of Super Bowl XVIII in the 1983 season. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers won championships in 1980 and 1982 en route to winning five titles in that decade, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in 1981 and 1988, and even the Los Angeles Kings made a deep run in the playoffs in 1982, and acquired fan interest following the arrival of Wayne Gretzky in 1988. As a result, the Rams declined sharply in popularity during the 1980s, despite being playoff contenders for most of the decade.

Eric Dickerson, one of the best running backs in history, was most famous for his time with the Los Angeles Rams. In 1984, Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards in the season, a record that still stands today.

The hiring of coach John Robinson in 1983 provided a needed boost for pro football in Orange County. The former University of Southern California coach began by cutting the aged veterans left over from the 1970s teams. His rebuilding program began to show results when the team rebounded to 9–7 in 1983 and defeated Dallas in the playoffs. However, the season ended after a rout at the hands of the defending champion Redskins. Another trip to the playoffs in 1984 saw them lose to the Giants. They made the NFC Championship Game in 1985 after winning the division, where they were shut out by the eventual champion Chicago Bears 24–0.

The most notable player for the Rams during that period was running back Eric Dickerson, who was drafted in 1983 out of Southern Methodist University and won the Rookie of the Year award. In 1984, Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards, setting an NFL record. Dickerson ended his five hugely successful years for the Rams in 1987 by being traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a number of players and draft picks after a bitter contract dispute, shortly after the players' strike that year ended. Dickerson was the Rams' career rushing leader until 2010, with 7,245 yards. Despite this trade, the Rams remained contenders due to the arrival of the innovative offensive leadership of Ernie Zampese. Zampese brought the intricate timing routes he had used in making the San Diego Chargers a state-of-the-art offense. Under Zampese, the Rams rose steadily from 28th rated offense in 1986 to 3rd in 1990. The late 1980s Rams featured a gifted young quarterback in Jim Everett, a solid rushing attack and a fleet of talented wide receivers led by Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson.

After a 10–6 season in 1986, the Rams were booted from the playoffs by Washington. After one game of the 1987 season was lost to the players' strike, the NFL employed substitutes, most of which were given derogatory nicknames (in this case the Los Angeles Shams). After a 2–1 record, the Rams' regulars returned, but the team only went 6–9 and did not qualify for the postseason.

The Rams managed to return in 1988 with a 10–6 record, but then were defeated by Minnesota in the wild card round. Los Angeles won the first five games of 1989, including a sensational defeat of the defending champion 49ers. They beat the Eagles in the wild card game, then beat the Giants in overtime before suffering a 30–3 flogging at the hands of the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

Although it was not apparent at the time, the 1989 NFC Championship Game was the end of an era. The Rams did not have another winning season for the rest of their first tenure in Los Angeles before moving to St. Louis. They crumbled to 5–11 in 1990, followed by a 3–13 season in 1991.

The Rams hosting the Atlanta Falcons at Anaheim Stadium in 1991

Robinson was fired at the end of the 1991 season. However, the return of Chuck Knox as head coach, after his successful stints as head coach of the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks, did not boost the Rams' sagging fortunes. His run-oriented offense marked the end of the Zampese tenure in 1993. Knox's game plans called for an offense that was steady, if unspectacular. Unfortunately for the Rams, Knox's offense was not only aesthetically unpleasing but dull as well, especially by 1990s standards. The Rams finished last in the NFC West during all three years of Knox's second stint.

As the losses piled up and the team was seen as playing uninspired football, the Rams' already dwindling fan base was reduced even further. By 1994, support for the Rams had withered to the point where they were barely part of the Los Angeles sports landscape. With sellouts becoming fewer and far between, the Rams saw more of their games blacked out in Southern California. One of the few bright spots during this time was Jerome Bettis, a bruising running back from Notre Dame earning the nickname "The Battering Ram". Bettis flourished as the only bright spot in Knox's offense, running for 1,429 yards as a rookie, and 1,025 in his sophomore effort.

Anaheim Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams 1980–1994

As had become increasingly common with sports franchises, the Rams began to blame much of their misfortune on their stadium situation. Anaheim Stadium was primarily suited for baseball, so the sightlines for football were deemed inadequate. With Orange County mired in a deep recession resulting largely from defense sector layoffs, the Rams were unable to secure a new or improved stadium in the Los Angeles area, which ultimately cast their future in Southern California into doubt.

By 1995, the Rams fanbase in Southern California had withered to a shadow of its former self. Accusations and excuses were constantly thrown back and forth between the Rams fanbase, ownership, and local politicians. Many fans heavily blamed the ownership of Georgia Frontiere for the franchise's woes, while ownership cited the outdated stadium and withering fan support as direct factors.

Frontiere quickly gave up and decided to move the Rams franchise to St. Louis. However, on March 15, 1995, the other league owners rejected her bid to move the franchise by a 21–3–6 vote. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stated after rejecting the move, "This was one of the most complex issues we have had to approach in years. We had to balance the interest of fans in Los Angeles and in St. Louis that we appreciate very much. In my judgment, they did not meet the guidelines we have in place for such a move." The commissioner also added: "Once the bridges have been burned and people get turned off on a sports franchise, years of loyalty is not respected and it is difficult to get it back. By the same token, there are millions of fans in that area who have supported the Rams in an extraordinary way. The Rams have 50 years of history and the last 5 or so years of difficult times can be corrected."[38][39]

However, Frontiere responded with a thinly veiled threat at a lawsuit. The owners eventually acquiesced to her demands, wary of going through a long, protracted legal battle. Tagliabue simply stated that "The desire to have peace and not be at war was a big factor" in allowing the Rams move to go forward. In a matter of a month, the vote had gone from 21–6 opposed to 23–6 in favor, with the Raiders, who left the Coliseum and returned to Oakland later in 1995, abstaining. Jonathan Kraft, son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, elaborated on the commissioner's remarks by saying that "about five or six owners didn't want to get the other owners into litigation, so they switched their votes." Only six franchises remained in opposition to the Rams move from Los Angeles: the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals (who played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987), and Washington Redskins. After the vote was over, Dan Rooney publicly stated that he opposed the move of the Los Angeles Rams because "I believe we should support the fans who have supported us for years."[40]

The 1995 and 1996 seasons, the Rams' first two in St. Louis, were under the direction of former Oregon Ducks head coach Rich Brooks. Their most prolific player from their first two seasons was the fan favorite Isaac Bruce.

In 1997, Dick Vermeil was hired as the head coach. That same year, the Rams traded up in the 1997 NFL draft to select future All-Pro offensive tackle, Orlando Pace. The team would struggle to find success in the first two seasons with Vermeil under the helm, going 5-11 in 1997 and 4-12 in 1998.

The 1999 season started with quarterback Trent Green injuring his leg in preseason play, which left him sidelined for the entire season; the starting job fell to backup Kurt Warner, who came out of college as an undrafted free agent and whose career had included stints with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League and the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. Vermeil told the public that the Rams would "Rally around Kurt Warner, and play good football." Warner synced up with Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce to lead the Rams to one of the most prolific offenses in history, posting 526 points for the season. This was the beginning of what later became known as "The Greatest Show on Turf". Warner shocked the league by throwing for 41 touchdowns. This led the Rams to Super Bowl XXXIV, where they beat the Tennessee Titans, 23–16.[41] Warner was named the Most Valuable Player of the Super Bowl.

Following the Rams' win, Vermeil retired, and Vermeil's offensive coordinator Mike Martz was hired as head coach.[41] He managed to take the Rams to Super Bowl XXXVI, where the team lost to the New England Patriots 20–17. Martz helped the Rams establish a pass-first identity that posted an NFL record number of points over the course of three seasons (1999–2001). However, in the first round in the 2004 draft, the Rams chose Oregon State running back Steven Jackson as the 24th pick of the draft.

Marshall Faulk's running abilities, combined with Kurt Warner passing to Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and others, forged The Greatest Show on Turf.

Although the Rams were one of the most productive teams in NFL history at the time, head coach Martz was criticized by many as careless with game management. He often feuded with several players as well as team president and general manager, Jay Zygmunt. However, most of his players respected him and went on record saying that they enjoyed him as a coach. In 2005, Martz was ill, and was hospitalized for several games, allowing assistant head coach Joe Vitt to coach the remainder of the season. Although Martz was cleared later in the season, team president John Shaw did not allow him to come back to coach the team. After the Rams fired Martz, former Minnesota offensive coordinator Scott Linehan took control of an 8–8 team in 2006. In 2007, Linehan led the Rams to a 3–13 record.

Following the 2007 season, Georgia Frontiere died on January 18, 2008 after a 28-year ownership that began in 1979.[42] Ownership of the team passed to her son Dale "Chip" Rosenbloom and daughter Lucia Rodriguez.[43] Chip Rosenbloom was named the new Rams majority owner.[44] Linehan was already faced with scrutiny from several players in the locker room, including Torry Holt and Steven Jackson. Linehan was then fired on September 29, 2008, after the team started the season 0–4. Jim Haslett, defensive coordinator under Linehan, was interim head coach for the rest of the 2008 season.

John Shaw then resigned as president, and personnel chief Billy Devaney was promoted to general manager on December 24, 2008, after the resignation of former president of football operations and general manager Jay Zygmunt on December 22.[45]

On January 17, 2009, Steve Spagnuolo was named the new head coach of the franchise. In his previous post as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, Spagnuolo masterminded a defensive scheme that shut down the potent offense of the previously undefeated and untied New England Patriots, the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl that year. In one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history, the New York Giants defeated the Patriots 17–14. In spite of his success as defensive coordinator with the Giants, Spagnuolo's first season as head coach of the Rams was disappointing as the team won only once in 16 attempts.

On May 31, 2009, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the majority owners Rosenbloom and Rodriguez officially offered their majority share of Rams for sale. They retained the services of Goldman Sachs, a prominent investment banking firm, to help facilitate the sale of the Rams by evaluating bids and soliciting potential buyers.[46] The sale price was unknown, but at the time Forbes magazine's most recent estimate listed the Rams' value at $929 million.[47] On the final day to do so, then-minority owner Stan Kroenke invoked his right of first refusal to buy the 60% of the team that he did not already own. The original intended buyer, Shahid Khan, later acquired the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2011 season. Pursuant to NFL rules, owners are prohibited from owning other sports teams in markets where there is already an NFL team. At the time of purchase, Kroenke (d/b/a Kroenke Sports Enterprises) owned the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, the Colorado Rapids, and the Pepsi Center (home to the Nuggets and the Avalanche). Kroenke, a real estate and sports mogul married to a Walmart heir, also owned Altitude Sports and Entertainment.[48] These interests violated the NFL's cross-ownership rule. Nevertheless, on August 25, 2010, NFL owners unanimously approved him as the owner of the franchise contingent upon his eventual divestment of his Colorado sports interests. Kroenke complied with the rule when he transferred ownership of the Nuggets, Avalanche, the Pepsi Center, and the Altitude to his son Josh Kroenke.

The St. Louis Rams on offense during an away game against the San Francisco 49ers

The Rams received the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft after finishing the 2009 season with a 1–15 record. The team used the pick to select quarterback Sam Bradford from the University of Oklahoma. The Rams finished the 2010 season second in the NFC West with a record of 7–9. Bradford started all 16 games for the Rams after earning the starting position during the preseason. On October 24, 2010, running back Steven Jackson passed Eric Dickerson as the franchise's career rushing leader.

On February 4, 2011, Bradford was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. He received 44 out of 50 possible votes from the nationwide panel of media members. The team and fans held high expectations for the upcoming season, but due to injuries to starters and poor execution, the Rams fell to a 2–14 record for the 2011 season. On January 2, 2012, head coach Spagnuolo and general manager Devaney were fired.[49] McDaniels also left the team and returned to New England[50] to become their offensive coordinator for the 2012 season.[51]

Under the terms of the lease that the Rams signed in St. Louis, the Edward Jones Dome was required to be ranked in the top tier of NFL stadiums through the 2015 season. The Rams were free to break the lease and either move without penalty or continue to lease the dome on a year-to-year basis.[52][53][54][55] In May 2012, the dome was ranked by Time magazine as the 7th worst major sports stadium in the United States.[56] In a 2008 Sports Illustrated poll, St. Louis fans ranked it the worst of any NFL stadium with particularly low marks for tailgating, affordability and atmosphere.[57]

On January 20, 2012, it was announced that the Rams would play one home game a season at Wembley Stadium in London for each of the next three seasons. The first game was played against the New England Patriots on October 28, 2012.[58] On August 13, 2012, it was announced that the Rams had withdrawn from the 2013 and 2014 games. At this time, the Rams began negotiations with St. Louis about what steps could be taken to remediate the "top tier" requirement of the lease.

On March 10, 2015, the Rams traded starting quarterback Sam Bradford and a 2015 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Eagles' quarterback Nick Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick, and a second-round pick in 2016. Foles had a 14–4 record as starter of the Eagles and an impressive touchdown to interception ratio of 46–17, while Bradford had an 18–30–1 record with the Rams. In the 2015 NFL draft the Rams drafted running back Todd Gurley. After Gurley was drafted, the Rams traded Zac Stacy to the New York Jets on May 2 for a 7th round pick.[59] Stacy had led the team in rushing in 2013.

The stadium "top tier" negotiations failed to produce a solution to keep the Rams in St. Louis for the long term. On December 17, 2015, the Rams defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31–23 in their final home game in St. Louis; their last game as the St. Louis Rams came two weeks later on the road against the San Francisco 49ers before moving back to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. Fans in St. Louis claimed Kroenke, a Missouri native, as well as Kevin Demoff, lied to the fans about their wishes to keep the Rams in St. Louis. In his final years, Kroenke was referred to "Silent Stan" as he refused to speak about the team and the potential move. In a last-ditch effort, St. Louis came up with a viable stadium plan to keep the team, but the NFL and the Rams' position was that the Rams followed the agreed-upon remediation process laid out in the Edward Jones Dome lease, and that St. Louis' hastily put together plan shifted too much of the stadium cost to the Rams franchise. Ultimately, the other NFL teams' owners voted to allow the Rams to move to Los Angeles.

On January 5, 2015, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kroenke and the Stockbridge Capital Group were partnering to develop a new NFL stadium on an Inglewood property owned by Kroenke. On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved the stadium and the initiative with construction on the stadium planned to begin in December 2015.[60][61] The Rams moved to their new stadium in Inglewood in 2020.

Rally held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in support of the Rams moving back to Los Angeles

The day following the conclusion of the 2015 regular season, the Rams, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers all filed to move to Los Angeles. The same day, the NFL announced that any franchise approved for relocation would need to pay a $550 million fee.[62] On January 12, 2016, the NFL team owners voted 30–2 to allow the Rams to return to Los Angeles.[63][64] The Rams were the first major league sports team to move since 2011 when the National Hockey League's Atlanta Thrashers left Atlanta and became the new Winnipeg Jets. The team held a press conference at The Forum in Inglewood on January 15, 2016, to announce its return to Los Angeles to start play in the 2016 season and on that day the Rams began a campaign that lasted through February 8 and resulted in more than 56,000 season ticket deposits made.[65] The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was the temporary home stadium of the Rams for four seasons (2016 to 2019) until SoFi Stadium was opened for the 2020 season.[7][66]

On February 4, 2016, the Los Angeles Rams selected Oxnard to be the site of their minicamp, off-season team activities, and off-season program that began on April 18. In March, it was announced that the Rams would be featured on HBO's Hard Knocks.[67] On March 30, California Lutheran University and the Rams reached an agreement that allowed the team to have regular season training operations at CLU's campus for the next two years. The Rams paid for two practice fields, paved parking, and modular buildings constructed on the northwestern corner of the campus.[68][69]

On April 14, 2016, the Rams traded with the Tennessee Titans for the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, along with a fourth and sixth-round pick in the same draft. To acquire the picks, the Rams traded away their first-round pick, two second-round picks, and a third-round pick in 2016, and their first and third-round picks in the 2017 NFL draft.[70] On April 28, 2016, the Rams made their first selection in the 2016 NFL draft by selecting California quarterback Jared Goff first overall.

In June 2016, it was reported that the Rams had sold 63,000 season tickets, which was short of their goal of 70,000. Later on July 12, 2016, it was reported that they had sold 70,000 tickets, reaching their goal. In July 2016, the Rams signed a three-year agreement with UC Irvine to use the university's facilities for training camp, with an option to extend it to two more years. On July 29, 2016, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Rams would host their first training-camp practice and "Rams Family Day" on Saturday, August 6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was open to the public.[71]

The Rams played their first game in the Los Angeles area since 1994, a 22-year absence, with a preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 13. The Rams won, 28–24, in front of a crowd of 89,140, a record attendance for a pre-season game.[72]

On September 12, 2016, the Rams played their first regular-season game since returning to Los Angeles, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers 28–0 at Levi's Stadium. On September 18, in front of over 91,000 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks 9–3 in their first home regular-season game in Los Angeles since 1994, and their first game at the Coliseum since 1979.

On December 12, 2016, the team fired head coach Jeff Fisher after starting the season 4−9.[73] The team announced later that day that John Fassel would be taking over as interim head coach.[74]

The Rams used the L.A. Memorial Coliseum as their home stadium from 2016 to 2019

On January 12, 2017, Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay became the new head coach at the age of 30, which made him the youngest in modern NFL history, surpassing Lane Kiffin who was 31 when hired by the Oakland Raiders in 2007.[75]

The Rams began the year 3–2, much like their previous season in Los Angeles. However, the Rams became a quick surprise in the NFL when they won their next four games in a row, including blowouts of the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants. The games were highlighted by the resurgences of Jared Goff and Todd Gurley, who had mediocre performances in 2016. New acquisitions Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and draft selection Cooper Kupp at wide receiver made such big impacts that analysts were comparing the 2017 Rams to the "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams of the late 1990s and early 2000s. After scoring a league-worst 224 points in 2016, the Rams led the league in points scored with 478, the fourth-most in team history.

On November 26, 2017, the Rams defeated the Rival New Orleans Saints 26–20. The win was their eighth of the season, which secured the franchise's first non-losing year since 2006, as well as their first in Los Angeles since 1989. A week later, the Rams defeated the Cardinals 32–16 to secure a winning season for the first time since the 2003 season. On December 24, 2017, the Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans 27–23 to clinch their first NFC West title since 2003, and their first in Los Angeles since 1985; they finished the regular season with an 11–5 record. However, the team met an early exit in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the defending conference champion Atlanta Falcons 26–13.

In the 2018 off-season, the Rams acquired Marcus Peters from the Kansas City Chiefs.[76] The team dealt Robert Quinn to the Miami Dolphins and Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants, and lost Trumaine Johnson to the New York Jets in free agency before trading for five-time Pro Bowler Aqib Talib from the Denver Broncos. The team continued building a defensively strong squad by signing free agent Ndamukong Suh, further bolstering their pass rush. Many experts and analysts began to label the Rams as a serious Super Bowl contender, and the Rams continued to build for a deep postseason run by picking up wide receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the New England Patriots, which replaced the loss of Sammy Watkins to the Chiefs in free agency. The Rams then signed Cooks and running back Todd Gurley to five-year extensions, and offensive tackle Rob Havenstein to a four-year extension. The Rams ended their off-season by signing defensive tackle Aaron Donald to a six-year contract worth $135 million.[77] Donald had been holding out for some time as he had been seeking a new deal, and thus missed training camp for the second season in a row, despite privately training on his own. Donald's contract made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history,[78] though this record was broken a day later when the Chicago Bears signed newly acquired Khalil Mack to a $141 million extension.[79]

QB Jared Goff, 2016–2020

The Rams opened their 2018 season on September 10 by defeating the Oakland Raiders 33–13 on Monday Night Football, scoring 23 unanswered second-half points in a game during which head coach McVay took on his former mentor, Jon Gruden, who was making his return to coaching. It was the first of two Monday Night Football appearances for the Rams in the season. The Rams continued their strong start with three straight wins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, shutting out the Arizona Cardinals 34–0 in their home opener in Week 2, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 35–23 in Week 3 and beating the Minnesota Vikings 38–31 on Thursday Night Football. Los Angeles then went three-for-three on the road with wins at Seattle (33–31), Denver (23–20), and San Francisco (39–10). Returning home in Week 8, Los Angeles rallied to defeat the Green Bay Packers 29–27 to improve to 8–0, their best start since 1969. The Rams were the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL in 2018 until losing on the road to the New Orleans Saints in Week 9 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Rams bounced back with three straight wins, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 36–31, and then winning a wild 54–51 shootout against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Following a bye week, the Rams beat the host Detroit Lions 30–16 in Week 13 to clinch both a playoff berth and their second straight NFC West title. Los Angeles stumbled with back-to-back losses to the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, and in the latter of those two games, franchise running back Todd Gurley suffered a leg injury that later led to inflammation, forcing him to miss the Rams' final two regular-season games, but the team finished strong with victories over the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers to clinch a first-round bye.[80] The Rams' 13–3 record tied for the second-most wins in a single season in franchise history and were the most ever for any NFL team in Los Angeles.

The Rams began their playoff run by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 30–22 in the divisional round to head to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since January 2002.[81] The following week, the Rams beat the Saints on the road 26–23 to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since Super Bowl XXXVI in January 2002, and since Super Bowl XIV in January 1980 as a Los Angeles team.[9] The game featured a controversial ending: on a third-down play inside the final two minutes with the score tied at 20, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman made contact with Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis well before a pass from Saints quarterback Drew Brees had arrived. Additionally, Robey-Coleman delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit; however, no flag was thrown for pass interference or the illegal hit, leading to outrage from Saints players and fans as this denied New Orleans a first down, which would have likely put the game out of reach. After the game, there was speculation but no clear video evidence that the pass was tipped.

The Rams lost in Super Bowl LIII held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia to the New England Patriots by a score of 13–3 in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.[8][82] It was the first time in 35 years that a Los Angeles team was featured in a Super Bowl.[9]

Rumors in the offseason swirled around Gurley and his knee injury, as despite a strong performance in the divisional round against the Cowboys, Gurley's performances in the NFC Championship and Super Bowl LIII were lackluster, and it was later reported after the Super Bowl that Gurley had arthritis in his knee. Nevertheless, Gurley would attempt to play a full slate in 2019. Meanwhile, the Rams' biggest free agency losses included offensive linemen Rodger Saffold and John Sullivan, and defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh departed for Tampa Bay. Los Angeles did however make notable acquisitions during free agency, including linebacker Clay Matthews and safety Eric Weddle.

The Rams opened their NFC title defense with a close victory over the Carolina Panthers, 30–27, and followed it up by defeating the Saints 27–9 in a highly anticipated rematch of the previous NFC Championship Game. Los Angeles then won their third straight game, a tight battle with the Cleveland Browns, though quarterback Jared Goff seemed to struggle. Goff's struggles would continue into the following week, where the Rams would lose a wild, high-scoring duel with the Buccaneers 40–55. Safety John Johnson, who was one of the team's strongest defensive players, suffered a season-ending injury in the loss. The Rams then met the divisional rival Seahawks on Thursday Night Football, in what was another extremely tight game which saw Clay Matthews flagged for a controversial roughing the passer penalty on Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, which kept Seattle's eventual winning drive alive. Greg Zuerlein then missed a last-second field goal, which lost the game for the Rams by one point, 29–30.

Gurley, who had suffered a quad injury against Seattle, would miss the Rams' Week 6 bout with the 49ers, in addition to Matthews and other key members of the Rams' offensive line. The depleted Rams lost 20–7, a game in which Goff was held to a career-low 78 yards passing and took four sacks. Two days after the loss, cornerback Marcus Peters was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for linebacker Kenny Young. Los Angeles then traded two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who contributed well despite playing on a snap count in the Rams' 37–10 victory over the Falcons. The Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 24–10 in London before dropping a low-scoring battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers 17–12. Between the games against the Bengals and Steelers, Aqib Talib, who was on injured reserve, was traded to the Miami Dolphins. Throughout the season, the Rams' offensive line had taken multiple injuries, which led to second-string players such as Bobby Evans and David Edwards getting significant playing time in the latter half of the year. The Rams, who were also missing wide receiver Robert Woods for a week, defeated the Bears 17–7 at home before being dismantled by the Ravens 45–6, with Baltimore scoring touchdowns on their first six drives while Goff and Gurley, the latter of whom had been significantly limited throughout the season, continued to struggle. Los Angeles responded with a 34–7 rout over the Cardinals, where rookie safety Taylor Rapp notched his first career interception, which he returned for a touchdown, while Goff threw his first passing touchdown in a month after going all of November without a single one. The team then turned in one of their strongest first-half performances of the year in a 28–12 victory over the Seahawks, in what was the final primetime NFL game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rams, however, were unable to keep their momentum in a 21–44 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, dealing the team a devastating blow to their playoff chances and forcing them into a must-win game against the 49ers. The Rams led late in the game, but the 49ers won the wild affair 34-31 via a field goal after a miscommunication between Ramsey and Rapp on the final drive of the game led to a blown coverage, which put San Francisco in scoring position. The loss eliminated the Rams from playoff contention, denying them an opportunity to repeat as NFC Champions. In their final game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the team went out on a high note, defeating the Cardinals 31–24.

Like the rest of the NFL, the Rams were forced to navigate a difficult offseason when the global COVID-19 pandemic struck, meaning offseason free-agent visits, college player visits, the Draft, and other team activities would be conducted virtually, and there would be no preseason held. In free agency, the Rams chose to release Todd Gurley after his lackluster 2019, where he finished with career-lows in touchdowns and rushing yards after being significantly limited by his knee injury. The Rams also traded Brandin Cooks, who, due to recurring concussion issues, missed multiple games the previous year. The team filled those holes by drafting running back Cam Akers and receiver Van Jefferson. However, the Rams would lose Cory Littleton and Dante Fowler in free agency, and were set to lose Michael Brockers to the Ravens until a failed physical allowed him to return to Los Angeles on a 3-year deal. Kicker Greg Zuerlein would also depart, signing with the Cowboys, and he was replaced by rookie Sam Sloman. One week before the start of the season, Jalen Ramsey was signed to a 5-year, $102 million deal, making him the highest-paid cornerback in league history.

SoFi Stadium, the Rams current stadium is located at the former site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood

The Rams' 2020 season also marked the long-awaited opening of SoFi Stadium. At a cost of over $5 billion, SoFi Stadium is the most expensive stadium in the world, and hosts a seating capacity of approximately 70,000. Unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic made it impossible for the Rams to host any fans during their inaugural campaign at their new home. The team, which had also undergone a rebranding of logos, colors and uniforms, won their first game of the 2020 season by a score of 20–17 over the Cowboys, a game which featured a controversial ending, in which Dallas receiver Michael Gallup was flagged for offensive pass interference against Ramsey, which denied Dallas a large gain that would've been enough to put them in scoring position. Many argued that Ramsey "sold it" and was not completely interfered with making a play on the ball. The Rams would win their Week 2 game with a 37–19 rout over the Philadelphia Eagles, where Jared Goff, who appeared to have shrugged off last year's struggles, completed his first 14 consecutive passes and threw for three touchdowns, all to tight end Tyler Higbee. The Rams then took part in a close battle with the Buffalo Bills, who led 28-3 before the Rams nearly pulled off the biggest comeback win in team history, but lost 35–32 on a controversial pass interference call against Darious Williams. Williams, however, would respond by snagging a game-winning interception in a surprisingly low-scoring battle against the Giants, with a final score of 17–9.

After a 30–10 win over the Washington Football Team in Week 5, the Rams would struggle in a 24–16 loss to a depleted San Francisco 49ers team. The defense stole the show in a bounce-back 24–10 win over the Bears in primetime, but the team then suffered an ugly 28–17 loss to the Dolphins. Despite Los Angeles shutting out Miami in the second half, Jared Goff struggled heavily against Miami's defense, only completed 35 of his 61 pass attempts while throwing two interceptions and losing two fumbles. After the bye week, Darious Williams would continue to impress, securing two interceptions in the Rams' 23–16 win over the Seahawks in Week 10. The Rams would then enter a crucial Monday battle against the Buccaneers, who were bolstered by the acquisition of Tom Brady in the offseason. Brady, however, struggled against the Los Angeles defense, as rookie safety Jordan Fuller picked off Brady twice, while Goff turned in a solid performance with just under 400 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, two of which were the first career touchdowns for Akers and Jefferson. Kicker Matt Gay also made his Rams debut. However, Goff went right back to struggling in a 23–20 loss to the 49ers, a game that saw the defense play incredibly strong, but poor decisions and throws from Goff never extended the Rams' lead in time to prevent a comeback. The following week, both the offense and defense shined in a 38–28 victory over Arizona, and in a highly anticipated rematch of Super Bowl LIII, the Rams dismantled the Patriots 24–3. However, in Week 15, in the biggest upset of the year, the Rams shockingly gave the 0-13 New York Jets their first win of the season, 23–20. Los Angeles went down by 13 points before scoring, and crucial mistakes from Goff as well as strong performances from the Jets defense put the game too far out of reach for the Rams offense. At this point in the season, many had suggested that the Rams needed to replace the turnover-prone Goff at quarterback, and calling the otherwise stellar team "a quarterback away" from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Goff, however, broke his thumb late in a 20–9 loss to Seattle, and in their season finale against the Cardinals, John Wolford made his first career start after Goff had surgery on his throwing hand. Despite not passing for any touchdowns, Wolford played strong, as did the Los Angeles defense, and the Rams took down the Cardinals 18–7, while the Green Bay Packers' victory over the Chicago Bears clinched the Rams a playoff berth.

Wolford was given the start over Goff in the Rams' Wild Card round game against the Seahawks, though early on in the game, a rough hit by Seahawks safety Jamal Adams took Wolford out of the game with a neck injury. Goff, who was playing with a bandaged throwing thumb, came into the game and helped to steady the Rams' offense while the defense took over the rest of the game, and the Rams eliminated their rivals with a 30–20 win. However, Rams superstar defender Aaron Donald missed most of the second half with a rib injury, and the next week, with Wolford declared out due to his neck injury, Goff had to step in again in the Divisional round against a heavily favored Packers team. Goff played a more solid game, but Donald, who was apparently limited by his injury, was a non-factor in the game, and the Packers' mistake-free offense was too much for the Rams to overcome. Green Bay won 32–18 to advance to the NFC Championship.

Before Super Bowl LV had even been played, the Rams agreed to a blockbuster trade, as they dealt an inconsistently performing Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Detroit's own quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Acquiring Stafford came at a steep price, as Los Angeles gave up a 2021 third-round pick and two first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. The offseason saw more losses, as defensive coordinator Brandon Staley left to become the head coach of the crosstown rival Chargers, while the team also traded Michael Brockers to the Lions, and chose not to retain impending free agents John Johnson, Gerald Everett and Josh Reynolds. The Rams added more depth at wide receiver, signing free agent DeSean Jackson and drafting Tutu Atwell. Another addition came when the team suffered the loss of Cam Akers for the season due to an Achilles injury, and veteran Sony Michel was tapped as the replacement.

Prior to the start of the season, SoFi Stadium was given the clearance to allow fans to attend Rams games for the first time during the pandemic. The Rams opened their 2021 season on Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. In front of a full capacity crowd, Matthew Stafford exploded in his Los Angeles debut, throwing for three touchdowns and 321 yards as the Rams defeated the Bears 34–14. The Rams followed it up with a close 27–24 win over the Indianapolis Colts before a strong victory against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34–24. The Rams were handed their first loss of the season against the division rival Arizona Cardinals, ending their perfect record against the Cardinals under Sean McVay, though the team was able to bounce back in a wild 26–17 win over another division opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, before a blowout win over the New York Giants 38–11. The Rams then squared off with Stafford's former team, the Lions, while also facing their former quarterback Jared Goff, a back-and-forth matchup that resulted in the Rams prevailing 28–19.

A day after defeating the Lions, the team traded linebacker Kenny Young to the Denver Broncos, and later confirmed that DeSean Jackson would be permitted to seek a trade. Jackson would later be released into free agency after the team was unable to find a trade partner. On Halloween, the Rams offense exploded for a 38–22 win over the Houston Texans. A day after the victory, the Rams made a blockbuster move, acquiring Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller from the Broncos in exchange for two draft picks. However, Miller was unable to make his debut the week he was traded, as he was still dealing with an ankle injury. On November 11, Los Angeles would then make another blockbuster move, signing former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal.

However, the new acquisitions did not result in immediate dividends as the Rams lost three straight games to fall to 8–4. Turnovers plagued Los Angeles in both a 28–16 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday Night Football and a 31–10 rout at the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, L.A.'s fifth straight loss to their traditional rival. Following a bye week, the Rams fell on the road at Green Bay in 36–28 loss to the Packers that dropped Los Angeles to 8–4. A 37–7 win at home versus the Jacksonville Jaguars ended the Rams' skid, which was then followed by a resounding 30–23 victory on the road against Arizona. Despite missing half a dozen starters due to COVID-19 protocols, the Rams pulled away in the second half as Matthew Stafford threw touchdown passes to Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. to thrust L.A. back into the NFC West Division race. Though COVID-19 issues caused the Rams' home game against Seattle to be postponed for two days, Los Angeles clamped down on the Seahawks 20-10 for its third straight victory. In that game, Cooper Kupp caught nine passes for 136 yards and two TDs, and his 122 receptions through 14 games surpassed the Rams' single season receptions record held by Hall of Fame wide receiver Isaac Bruce. The Rams clinched their fourth NFC playoff berth in five seasons the following week by holding off the host Minnesota Vikings 30–23. After going winless (0-3) in November, the Rams won four straight in December, though in their final game of the regular season, blew a 17–0 lead to the 49ers in their sixth straight loss to their division rivals, a result that allowed San Francisco into the postseason. Despite this, the Seahawks' victory over the Cardinals that same week allowed the Rams to finish in 1st place in the NFC West. Also, in a surprising development, Cam Akers was able to take the field in the Rams' regular season finale, having made an unprecedented quick recovery from his torn Achilles, though he took a very limited number of snaps in the game. Akers would go on to be a full participant in the Rams' postseason.

In the playoffs, the Rams closed out the Wild Card round by defeating the divisional rival Arizona Cardinals in a 34–11 rout, taking place in the first ever Monday Night Football playoff game. One week later, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Rams jumped out to a 27–3 lead before Tom Brady and the Buccaneers stormed back into the game and tied it with under a minute remaining, though Cooper Kupp caught two deep passes from Matthew Stafford, and Matt Gay kicked a game-winning field goal that allowed the Rams to advance to the NFC Championship, where they would again face their divisional rival San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers led 17-7 late in the game, but a sideline speech from Aaron Donald to the rest of the team's defense reinvigorated Los Angeles to come back and eventually take a 20–17 lead. Shortly after, with just over one minute remaining, Donald tackled 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo mid-throw, and his desperate pass was picked off by Travin Howard, allowing the Rams to reach Super Bowl LVI, where they would face the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cooper Kupp, Super Bowl MVP and receiving triple crown of 2021.

In the Super Bowl, the Rams took an early 13–3 lead on touchdowns from Kupp and Beckham, but Beckham went down with a non-contact ACL injury to end the first half, by which point Los Angeles' lead was cut to 3. The second half began with disaster, as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow connected with Tee Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown, though replay footage showed Higgins appear to get away with grabbing Jalen Ramsey's facemask. No flag was thrown, and the Bengals eventually took a late 20–16 lead, but the Rams orchestrated a game-winning drive featuring multiple connections between Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, and after a flurry of penalties near the end zone, Stafford and Kupp connected one final time for the Rams to take a 23–20 lead. On Cincinnati's final drive, the Bengals faced a 4th & 1 near mid-field, and, in a moment mirroring his game-winning tackle of Jimmy Garoppolo two weeks ago, Aaron Donald tackled Joe Burrow, and his final desperation throw fell incomplete, giving the Rams their second Super Bowl win as well as their first Super Bowl win in Los Angeles. This also marked the second year in a row that a team that played in the Super Bowl played in their home stadium (SoFi Stadium), as in Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers won against the Chiefs in Raymond James Stadium. However, the Rams were designated as the away team, as in even-numbered years, the AFC is designated as the home team.

After becoming Super Bowl champions, there was some doubt as to whether Aaron Donald and Sean McVay would return to the team, as reports began to circulate shortly before the Super Bowl that Donald was considering retirement, and McVay had been offered a TV deal with ESPN. However, McVay would state that he had no intention of going to TV, and later during a press conference, McVay said that Donald had communicated to him that he would also return. McVay later received a contract extension, as did wide receiver Cooper Kupp, while Donald's current deal was restructured to increase his guaranteed money to $95 million through the 2024 NFL season. Meanwhile, veteran offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth announced his retirement shortly into the offseason. The Rams made a move at wide receiver near the start of free agency, signing free agent and former Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears wideout Allen Robinson to a three-year deal. Wide receiver Robert Woods, who had missed a majority of the previous season with a torn ACL, was the odd man out, as he was dealt to the Tennessee Titans for a late round pick in 2023. Shortly before the Woods trade, the Rams extended quarterback Matthew Stafford on a four-year deal. The Rams also lost Von Miller to the Buffalo Bills in free agency, though eventually filled the hole by signing free agent linebacker and former division rival Bobby Wagner to a five-year deal. Wagner after signing with Los Angeles stated that he wanted to remain on the West Coast, and that "playing the Seahawks (his former team) twice a year was the cherry on top."[83]

Sofi Stadium on September 18, 2022 folliwing a Rams-Falcons game

In May 2022, it was publicly announced that Rams owner Stan Kroenke had purchased for approximately $150 million a 34-acre property in Woodland Hills that included The Promenade shopping mall.[84] A month later, news was released revealing Kroenke as the buyer of an adjacent 31-acre property in Woodland Hills for $175 million.[85] The combined 65-acre property is expected to be developed into a permanent team headquarters and practice facility.

The Rams’ rivalry with the 49ers extends back to the 1950s following the inception of the 49ers in 1950 when both teams were original members of the NFC West. The rivalry began to rise in intensity during the 1970s when the two clubs would regularly fight for control of the division. The 1980s even yielded more notable matchups between the two teams, predominantly in favor of the 49ers. The two teams have met in the postseason 3 times including the 1989 NFC Championship. Following the Rams’ move to St. Louis in 1995, the rivalry did not have the same geographical hatred between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but there were still notable matchups between the two teams as the Rams’ re emerged successful in the postseason at the beginning of the millennium. The rivalry has recently gained more elements of relevance within the league as the Rams returned to Los Angeles in 2016. Sports Illustrated considers their rivalry the 8th best of all time in the National Football League.[101] The 49ers and Rams are also the only two teams who have been a part of the NFC West since it was formed in 1970. Notable Recent similarities between the teams include the hiring of two former Washington Redskins offensive staff as head coaches for both clubs. Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have both been credited with turning their respective teams around and making returns to the postseason; McVay managed to return the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018, while Shanahan made an appearance the following season. Most recently, in 2021–22, Shanahan's 49ers defeated the Rams twice in the regular season, but McVay's Rams got redemption by defeating San Francisco in that year's NFC Championship Game, and Los Angeles would go on to win Super Bowl LVI.

The Rams' rivalry with the Seattle Seahawks came into existence in 2002 following the Seahawks’ relocation to the NFC West. The first notable matchup between the two clubs occurred in the 2004 NFC Wild card round when the Rams managed to defeat the Seahawks in Seattle 27–20 and currently hold the streak for the only two wins against the Seahawks at home during the postseason. Much of the intensity waned as the Rams declined in competition throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, but several notable matchups between the two clubs would still occur. Most Recently the rivalry has grown exponentially in animosity between the two clubs with notable moments of taunting or violence occurring.[102][103][104] Following the Rams’ return to Los Angeles in 2016, and subsequent playoff success (most recently with A Super Bowl victory in 2022); the Rivalry has increased in intensity; especially as Seattle's Legion Of Boom era teams waned in competition.[105] Tensions especially ran high during the 2021 Wild Card game following a widely publicized taunt from Safety Jamal Adams during a postgame conference after a tough win over the Rams during week 16. The Rams would go onto decimate the Seahawks in the wild card game, with cornerback Jalen Ramsey and quarterback Jared Goff expressing their satisfaction to get retribution following Adams' comments and cigar gesture.

The Seahawks lead the series 25–24, but the Rams have won both playoff meetings.

Initially considered the "Battle of Los Angeles" during the Raiders' tenure in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994,[106] the rivalry was nonexistent as the Rams had also moved to St. Louis the same year. The Raiders unsuccessfully attempted to move back to Los Angeles in 2015 after a failed joint stadium project with the then-San Diego Chargers. The intercity rivalry was revived only with the Los Angeles Chargers being the city's AFC team following the Rams' return to Los Angeles in 2016, and their move from San Diego in 2017. Hostility erupted between the two clubs during a 2017 joint scrimmage at the Rams' training camp in Irvine, California. Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman and Chargers receiver Keenan Allen initiated an altercation and multiple players rushed into the skirmish, creating an uproar from the crowd.[107] Following the hiring of coach Sean McVay in 2017, the Rams managed to win back-to-back division titles, including an appearance in Super Bowl LIII during McVay's second season as head coach. The Chargers experienced their own playoff success by boasting a 12–4 record in 2018 and making an appearance in the 2018 AFC divisional round but also losing to the New England Patriots. The Rams lead the only regular-season matchup in Los Angeles thus far.[108][109]

One of the oldest matchups for the Cardinals as both teams first met during the 1937 NFL Season whilst the Rams played in Cleveland, and the Cardinals were still originally located in Chicago. The Rivalry has resurged in recent years as both teams found playoff success, despite the Cardinals' best efforts; the Rams have been 9-1 since hiring head coach Sean McVay in 2017. The Week 17 matchup of the 2020 season saw both teams playing for a playoff birth; despite the injury to quarterback Jared Goff the Rams managed to pull off a victory over the cardinals in a 7–18 loss that would eliminate them from the postseason. The Cardinals' streak would end against the Rams the following season, they would also manage to steal the lead of the NFC from the Rams and start the season 7–0. The following matchup would see the Rams pull off a win on Monday Night Football, the Cardinals would also struggle by losing 6 of 10 games since their 7–0 start. The Cardinals would clinch a wild card berth after a week 17 win over the Dallas Cowboys, ironically they would play the Rams in Los Angeles and lose in a 34-11 blowout loss that would see Kyler Murray throw 2 interceptions with one returning for a pick 6. The Rams own the series 47-39-2 in addition to 2 postseason wins in 1975 and 2022 respectively.

The rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams became prominent during the 1970s and 1980s. The Cowboys met the Rams eight times during that span and split those meetings. Two of those matchups decided the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl, with the Cowboys prevailing on both occasions.[110] As of 2021, the series is currently tied 18–18, with the Rams leading 5–4 in the playoffs.

Numbers that have been retired by the Rams:

Deacon Jones

Merlin Olsen

Norm Van Brocklin

Former Rams in the Pro Football Hall of Fame include Joe Namath (12), Marshall Faulk (28), Ollie Matson (33), Orlando Pace (76), Andy Robustelli (84), Dick "Night Train" Lane (81), Kurt Warner (13), and coach Earl "Dutch" Clark. Three other figures associated with the Rams are members of the Hall of Fame, but were elected more on the basis of their accomplishments outside the Rams:

• Sid Gillman, inducted as a coach, was head coach for five seasons, but had his greatest success in the same position with the San Diego Chargers.
• Pete Rozelle, inducted as a contributor, served the Rams as public relations director and later general manager, but his induction was based mainly on his 29 years as NFL commissioner.
• Tex Schramm, also inducted as a contributor, was a Rams executive for 9 years, but had his greatest impact as president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys for their first 29 years of existence.
• Gil Brandt, also inducted as a contributor, was a Rams scout for 3, but like Schramn, his greatest impact was his involvement with the Dallas Cowboys for their first 29 years of existence.

Former Rams were included in the St. Louis Football Ring of Fame, which was located in The Dome at America's Center. All players included are Hall of Famers, but there have been a few exceptions for team executives and coaches.

Map of radio affiliates.

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