The Los Angeles Rams have pushed their chips to the center of the table in an unprecedented fashion, and are a win away from reaching the Super Bowl with one of the most star-studded rosters in NFL history.
After completing one of the largest trades that the sport has ever seen last offseason to acquire quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, Sean McVay, Les Snead and the Rams added two more of the most recognizable faces in the league during the regular season; trading for Von Miller and signing Odell Beckham Jr.
It's a pretty wild turn of events for all parties involved, including Miller and Beckham, who trained together last offseason. In fact, in an excellent profile done by Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated, Miller says he even brought up the idea of joining Beckham in Cleveland. Let's just say, Beckham didn't endorse the idea:
Most weeks, the duo trained Monday through Saturday, often sweating for two or three workouts between sunrise and sunset. Almost every day, they wondered: Wouldn’t it be wild if, one day, somehow, some way, they played for the same team?
Maybe in Ohio, Miller wondered, daydreaming out loud.
“Don’t come to Cleveland,” Miller says Beckham told him.
While Beckham put on a good face publicly, this story from Miller gives you an idea that the former Offensive Rookie of the Year probably knew he wasn't long for Cleveland. In his third season with the Browns, Miller had just 17 catches for 232 yards in six games.
As Beckham continued to struggle in developing a rapport with Baker Mayfield, both his father and LeBron James made social media posts in the days leading up to the trade deadline, suggesting that the three-time Pro Bowler was being held back by the Browns and wanted a change of scenery:
Ultimately, the Browns released Beckham in early November. He signed with the Rams, who had traded a second and third-round pick to the Denver Broncos for Miller less than a week before.
Even as the No. 2 receiver in an offense that features All-Pro Cooper Kupp, Beckham has revived his career in Los Angeles. In the team's postseason wins over the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Beckham has 12 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.
While Miller lining up across from Myles Garrett would have been a sight to behold, the former Super Bowl MVP has fit in just fine on the same defensive line as his fellow future Hall of Famer, Aaron Donald. Miller, 32, has nine tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble so far this postseason.
If Beckham, Miller and the Rams are able to win two more games, they could be holding up the Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium -- their new home park -- in a few weeks.
Related
LISTEN NOW on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram