The Los Angeles Rams are close to another Super Bowl — at least, in terms of how their roster looks after a busy offseason.
Bleacher Report believes one of last season’s breakout contributors could become expendable along the way.
In a column naming one preseason trade candidate for every NFL team, Kristopher Knox urged Los Angeles to put tight end Colby Parkinson on the block.
Parkinson is coming off the best season of his career, but Knox pointed to the money the Rams could clear and the depth behind him as reasons a deal could make sense.
Additionally, Aaron Donald is expected to decide by the end of this week whether he will come out of retirement, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
And if Donald returns, Los Angeles would suddenly have another significant financial decision to work around before Week 1.
Rams Could Clear $5.5 Million With Parkinson Trade
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 25: Colby Parkinson #84 of the Los Angeles Rams runs with the ball against the Seattle Seahawksduring the fourth quarter in the NFC Championship game at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Moving Parkinson would create $5.5 million in cap space, according to Bleacher Report.
Knox noted that the Rams entered the week with $17.3 million available, a figure that could look much different if Donald officially rejoins the team.
“Trading Parkinson, who is in a contract year, would create $5.5 million in additional cap space,” Knox wrote.
That would mean moving on from a player who had sizable impact in 2025.
Parkinson finished with career highs of 43 receptions, 408 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The Rams later called it a “career year”, and his eight touchdown catches set a single-season franchise record for a tight end.
He also became an important piece of an offense that leaned heavily into three-tight-end formations. Los Angeles used 13 personnel on 30.5% of its offensive snaps last season, according to Next Gen Stats via ESPN’s Matt Bowen, more than double the next-closest NFL team.
Therefore, the idea of trading Parkinson is tougher to dismiss as a simple cap maneuver. He already has a place in Sean McVay’s offense and proved he can produce inside it.
Still, the Rams have built enough depth to at least make the conversation plausible.
Rams’ Congested TE Room Gives Los Angeles Options
Los Angeles brought Tyler Higbee back on a two-year deal and has 2025 second-round pick Terrance Ferguson, who caught 11 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie.
Then came another premium investment.
The Rams selected Max Klare in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft after he caught 43 passes for 448 yards at Ohio State last season. McVay said after the draft that the Rams planned to build on their multiple-tight-end packages and praised Klare as a player who could “fit right in” with the group.
The Rams’ official website later described the position as deep and experienced, with the four primary returning tight ends combining for 103 receptions, 1,128 yards and 17 touchdowns last season.
That depth gives Knox’s proposal some teeth.
There’s also Donald’s situation hovering over the roster.
Florio reported Sunday that his decision timeline had shifted toward the end of the week and that the Rams would target roughly 30 to 40 snaps for him in the Week 1 opener if he returns.
Los Angeles doesn’t have to trade Parkinson to make a Donald reunion happen.
But if the Rams decide they can maintain their tight end-heavy approach with their younger options, moving a 27-year-old entering a contract year could create useful breathing room.
The Rams are a team operating with championship expectations, which is enough grounds to make Parkinson one of the more intriguing names to watch as the preseason moves forward.
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