Arch Authority
Fansided

Significant Investments: 12 Questionable Checks that Stan Kroenke has Written Since Purchasing the St. Louis Rams

By Patrick Karraker

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
twitterfacebookreddit
Prev
8 of 13
Next
Nick Foles St. Louis Rams
Oct 25, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end Rob Housler (84) sacks St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Nick Foles

For some reason, the Rams found it appropriate to give quarterback Nick Foles a three-year, $27 million-dollar contract before he had ever played a game for the team. Foles, who had been acquired in an offseason trade for former top pick Sam Bradford, was coming off an extremely disappointing season with the Philadelphia Eagles during which he’d lost his job to Mark Sanchez. There was no reason to be confident that he’d be a success in the Rams’ offense, yet a strong four months of offseason work apparently gave the personnel powers-that-be reason to believe that it’d be too risky to let Foles hit the free agent market this offseason.

Just nine games later, Foles had been benched and replaced by journeyman backup Case Keenum, and there’s sufficient reason to believe that he’ll never start another game as the Rams’ quarterback; coach Jeff Fisher announced in his end-of-season press conference that he expects Keenum to head into the 2016 season as the Rams’ starter. Foles was widely regarded as the worst starting quarterback in the NFL during 2015, as he accumulated a 69.0 passer rating that ranked him 33rd among 34 qualifiers, and he completed just 56.4 percent of his passes for 2,052 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. His average of 6.09 yards per completion was worst among qualifying NFL quarterbacks.

The Rams can avoid paying Foles’s $6M roster bonus and a portion of his $1.75M salary for 2016 by releasing him before March 13, but the fact remains that Kroenke’s decision to sign off on giving nearly $13.8M guaranteed to a quarterback who was coming off a bad season and had never even played a game for the Rams wasn’t exactly the wisest way to make a “significant investment”.

Next: 5. Rodger Saffold

Home/St. Louis Rams