The pressure on Case Keenum, Jeff Fisher and Kevin Demoff became that much greater in Los Angeles.
Former Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan recommended to Fisher, the Rams coach, that he should sign embattled quarterback Robert Griffin III before he reached an agreement with the Cleveland Browns, according to ESPN.
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Shanahan made the revelation on ESPN980.
"But Shanahan said he spoke with Griffin after calling Rams coach Jeff Fisher, initially to discuss another matter, and telling him, 'I'd take him if I were you,' ESPN reported. "Shanahan said no other team called to ask his opinion about Griffin.
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"Robert called me and wanted to thank me for saying such nice things," Shanahan told ESPN980 as ESPN reported.
The Rams, who headed into an offseason brimming with optimism after winning the relocation battle to Los Angeles over the Chargers and Raiders, reportedly had more than $60 million in cap space in February by cutting linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive end Chris Long and tight end Jared Cook.
But they were unable to retain cornerback Janoris Jenkins and have not made a move in free agency to shore up their quarterback situation.
Demoff, the Rams' Chief Operating Officer, admitted earlier this month that the Rams have had a history of being "really crappy" in free agency, which lent to the indication that Los Angeles was leaning toward relying on Keenum as their starter moving forward.
Fisher pointed out the fact that the Rams were a blocked field goal away from finishing 2015 with four straight wins in which Keenum started at quarterback, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
Keenum had a slightly higher rating in 2015 (87.7) than Griffin the last year he played in 2014 (86.9), but certainly, Griffin has the bigger name and is considered to have a bigger upside than Keenum.
He will be under pressure to outperform Griffin in 2016.
Griffin signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Browns, with $6.75 million guaranteed.
Shanahan did acknowledge that Griffin had to be willing to play a zone-read offense, which he rejected after his rookie season, ESPN reported, leading to the relationship breakdown between the two in Washington.
The Rams may not have wanted to commit to a zone-read offense, but if Griffin resurrects his career and they continue on their .500 path, it could be the last straw for Fisher in Los Angeles.
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