LOS ANGELES — The NFL’s newest super team, heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl, is ready to take on all comers.
That’s the word from the Los Angeles Rams’ latest addition, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who made this clear during the team’s new uniform unveiling in front of a packed house of season ticket holders at the YouTube Theater on Thursday.
When asked which NFC West opponent he was most eager to face this season, Garrett pointed north along I-5 toward the Pacific Northwest and the defending champion Seattle Seahawks.
“I want the champs,” Garrett said, as the raucous crowd roared its approval. “They won it all, and I need to see what that’s about. They think they’ve got the pieces to run it back, and I believe we’ve got the pieces to take over.”
With one of the deepest rosters in recent memory, Rams MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford said he welcomes the challenge of operating in the ultra-competitive Los Angeles market since the team relocated from St. Louis a decade ago.
The Rams took a similar path in 2021, stacking up stars like Odell Beckham Jr., Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey, and Eric Weddle, which led to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory since returning to Los Angeles five years earlier. That Super Bowl was played at their home stadium, SoFi Field, which will also host this season’s championship game.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that you have to go out and earn it every day,” Stafford said. “And that’s really the fun part—getting to earn it, right? Not just sitting here talking about it, seeing what we look like on paper. So, let’s go out there, pump up the football, and see if we can score some points and stop some people. That’s where my head is at.”
Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford, and Davante Adams wear the Rams’ new Classic Sol uniforms. (Photo courtesy of the Rams.)
Rams team president Kevin Demoff addressed the most pressing question of this offseason—whether defensive wrecking ball Aaron Donald might return. He said the franchise will continue to take a patient approach regarding the possibility of the four-time Defensive Player of the Year playing football again after retiring two years ago.
“We don’t have a ring, or a Lombardi Trophy, or a banner if not for Aaron Donald,” Demoff said. “I think Sean [McVay] said it best yesterday. If Aaron wants to return, we’ll wait with open arms. It’s his decision, his choice. But there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wake up refreshing social media, seeing if there’s a post or hoping for a text that says, ‘You up?’”
Added Stafford: “Whatever’s right for him will be right for all of us.”
While the team hasn’t set a timeline for Donald to decide whether to potentially unretire, a league source close to Donald told me he is leaning toward coming back. Donald participated in a workout in full pads at the team’s facility two weeks ago.
As for the matter at hand Thursday night, the two alternate uniforms the Rams unveiled—”Classic Sol” and “Fearsome White”—celebrate the franchise’s championship history and iconic legacy, according to the team.
Members of the Rams’ defense wear their new Fearsome White uniforms. (Photo courtesy of the Rams.)
The “Classic Sol” uniform honors the 75th anniversary of the Rams’ 1951 championship team, while the “Fearsome White” pays tribute to the legendary Fearsome Foursome defensive line of Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Lamar Lundy, and Rosey Grier, who dominated the NFL during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Grier, the oldest living former Ram at 94 years old, attended the uniform unveiling.
“These uniforms are a celebration and reminder of the moments and people that built the Rams into what and who we are today,” said Kathryn Kai-Iing Frederick, chief marketing officer for the Rams. “Every detail was intentionally designed to honor the grit and greatness of our history while delivering a modern look for today’s players and fans.”
The Rams will wear the Classic Sol uniform—a combination of a yellow jersey and white pants—for the first time in a Week 2 home game against the New York Giants. They will also wear it in a Week 13 home matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Fearsome White combination will debut in their Thanksgiving Eve home game against the Green Bay Packers.
Hall of Fame running back and Rams legend Eric Dickerson was on hand for the unveiling. Dickerson told me he wasn’t a fan of the Classic Sol and still wants the franchise to return to the classic horns look on the helmets. But he praised the Rams for paying respect to the team’s history with the return to the traditional all-white uniforms.
“It kind of reminds me of the Fearsome Foursome,” Dickerson said. “I wish we would have worn those uniforms.”
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