The Los Angeles Rams’ kicker carousel could stop at the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 10.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell proposed that the Rams trade for Indianapolis Colts kicker Spencer Shrader in a move that would immediately solve their biggest special teams issue.
In his trade deadline pitches, Barnwell wrote that Los Angeles would acquire Shrader from the Colts for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Playing his home games in a dome obviously helps, but Shrader is one of the league’s most accurate kickers, and he won’t be an unrestricted free agent until 2028. He is a useful player for the Colts, but he’s also not an essential piece for a team that’s rebuilding.
The Rams are already on their third kicker of the season. They cut Harrison Mevis, who went 5-of-9 on field
goals (55.6%) with a long of 48. Blake Grupe, who made his only attempt, is on injured reserve after just one game. L.A. then signed veteran Brandon McManus as a stopgap despite some bad misses a year ago.
Shrader, 27, has made 36 of 37 career field goals and 35 of 36 extra points, including 6-for-6 on field goals from 50-plus yards this season. He leads the NFL in 2026 with 18 of 18 made field goals. He's also gone 12 of 13 on extra points.
Kicker trades are rare, and the price is usually low. There have been just seven trades involving a kicker since 2020, and the most recent was Washington acquiring Cade York from Cleveland in August 2024 for a conditional seventh-round pick. Every deal on the list was built around a seventh-rounder, so Barnwell’s proposed fifth-round pick for Shrader would be well above that going rate.
But to solve a big problem for a contending team, it might be worth it for Los Angeles.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: This hypothetical trade would solve Rams' 2026 kicking problems
