Rams linebacker Ernest Jones IV could soon be on the move — to another team.

The Rams informed Jones and his agents that they are open to trading the team captain and that his representatives can speak with other teams regarding a trade and a new contract, people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly said Sunday. They requested anonymity because a deal has not been made.

Jones, 24, has started since midway through his rookie season in 2021, and helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI.

Last season Jones made a team-best 145 tackles, including 4½ sacks, as the Rams exceeded expectations, finished 10-7 and made the playoffs.

Though he plays a position the Rams have not considered a premium, Jones appeared primed for an extension, especially after star defensive lineman Aaron Donald, the pillar of the defense, announced his retirement.

But as Jones, a third-round draft pick in 2021, entered the final year of his contract, the Rams shied from offering him a deal. Last spring at the NFL owners annual meetings general manager Les Snead indicated the team would let Jones play out his contract.

“There’s always risk if a player plays well and goes to the market,” Snead said. “We felt like that it was better for us to use current resources on making additions to the current team.”

At the beginning of offseason workouts, Jones sounded as if he would use the situation as motivation.

“I’m a big believer in Jesus Christ, so I know at the end of the day I’m taken care of,” he said. “As long as I continue to walk around here and play football at a high level, at the end of the season I’ll have the opportunity to take care of my family in the ways that I want to.

“But from hearing [the Rams] aspect, that they want to see me another year, that’s exciting for me. I’ve been doing nothing but proving myself my entire life…. I’m looking forward to this opportunity to lead this team but also looking forward to it from a personal standpoint that’s — play some good ball, you set yourself up real nice.”

The Rams, who play the Detroit Lions in a Sept. 8 opener, must trim their roster to 53 players by Tuesday at 1 p.m. PDT.

Christian Rozeboom, Jacob Hummel, Troy Reeder and undrafted free agent Omar Speights are other inside linebackers contending for spots. Snead said Saturday during the Rams’ 17-15 preseason defeat by the Houston Texans that Speights had made the roster.

Deion Sanders’ news conferences often feel like a sermon. When he’s on a roll, his words have a rhythm and energy that remind me of a Sunday morning in the Black church. He will lead you to believe his purpose for being at Colorado is greater than football. Winning may be important, but developing complete people as well as all-around players is imperative. When he talks about the types of recruits he looks for, he mentions intelligence, speed and toughness, but there is added emphasis when he cites character and discipline. He draws out those words, leaving them to linger in the air for a moment longer.

Today, those words ring hollow. Today, Sanders sounds and looks like a hypocrite.  The man who once refused to ignore a petty verbal slight from an opposing coach because “my momma taught me that you ain’t just gonna attack me, and I ain’t gonna sit back and say nothing,” is refusing to take questions from a local columnist because he doesn’t like what the person has written about him and the program.

From my vantage point, that doesn’t look like character. Rather, it resembles cowardice.

Everyone knows you don’t run from a bully, perceived or actual. You stand up to the person. Would Sanders tell his team to run and hide if facing an opponent that is a two- or three-touchdown favorite? Of course not. He’d tell his players to stand their ground and meet the moment.

But in this case, he either requested or allowed Colorado’s athletics department to notify The Denver Post that no one from the football program would take questions from columnist Sean Keeler because of “a series of sustained, personal attacks” in Keeler’s coverage of the program. Asked for specific examples, a sports information staffer cited the use of phrases such as “false prophet,” “Deposition Deion,” “Planet Prime,” “Bruce Lee of B.S.,” “the Deion Kool-Aid” and “circus,” according to the Post.

I can understand Sanders being bothered by such characterizations, but I also know the skin of an FBS head coach has to be thicker than one-ply toilet paper. However, Sanders has never handled criticism well, going back to his days as a professional football and baseball player.

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When he suited up for the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons on the same day decades ago, Tim McCarver, a catcher-turned-broadcaster, criticized him for it. McCarver was a purist and didn’t like what he believed to be a circus taking place. Sanders later responded by dumping multiple buckets of ice water on McCarver’s head in the clubhouse.

A few years ago while coaching at Jackson State, Sanders refused to take a question from a reporter when the person addressed him at the Southwestern Conference media day as Deion instead of Coach Prime.

“If you call Nick (Saban), Nick, you’ll get cussed out on the spot,” Sanders said to the reporter, referring to the former Alabama coach. “So don’t do that to me. Treat me like Nick.”

Two weeks ago, Sanders dismissively waved off a CBS reporter after learning of the reporter’s affiliation.

“I’m not doing nothing with CBS. Next question,” he said. “It ain’t got nothing to do with you. It’s above that. It ain’t got nothing to do with you. I got love for you. I appreciate you. I respect you. It ain’t got nothing to do with you. They know what they did.”

In that same news conference, Sanders also refused to take a question from Keeler. Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern of behavior.

Sanders made amends with CBS reporter Eric Christensen the following week, offering him a one-on-one interview, but the situation with Keeler likely won’t be resolved as quickly or as smoothly. Department officials have not indicated if or when its position will change, though it said it will continue to credential Keeler and other Post reporters for games, practices and other football events. Keeler will not be recognized for questions from the football program, but he can interview administrators, coaches and participants in other sports.

Attempts to control the sports media are nothing new, particularly in college football. In 2012, for instance, USC briefly banned a media member after he reported a player injury. And last season, the Trojans temporarily suspended a beat writer for reporting a conversation that two players had in front of the media.

There are other examples and battles that are fought that the public never hears about, and without a coach who preaches love, peace and empathy running from the opportunity to show his players how to handle a difficult situation. But that’s what bullies do, right? When they realize they are not likely to win, they turn and run. They give ammunition to critics who might argue their sermons are nothing more than hollow words, coated in style but lacking substance.

Required reading

(Photo: Louis Grasse / Getty Images)

CeeDee Lamb is widely considered one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. He finished the 2023 season with a career-high in receptions, touchdowns and receiving yards.

But the All-Pro wide receiver’s offseason has been dominated by a contract dispute. Lamb is seeking a new long-term deal from the Dallas Cowboys, but the two sides appear to remain at an impasse.

Longtime Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones recently indicated an agreement may be imminent.

“The facts are that I believe we’ll come together. I don’t want to speak for him. That’s what I’m trying not to do. But we wouldn’t have offered him what we’ve offered him if we didn’t want him to be here,” Jones said on Tuesday.

But Lamb does not appear to share the same level of optimism as Jones. In a workout video posted to social media, the star wideout said he continues to wait for the team to contact him about a potential new deal.

“Still waiting on that phone call,” Lamb said, “but, until then, we grind.”

DAK PRESCOTT: ‘GOOD CONVERSATIONS’ WITH COWBOYS AROUND A NEW CONTRACT

Lamb held out of the Cowboys’ offseason program and mandatory organized team activities. When training camp opened last month, Lamb was a no-show.

The 25-year-old is scheduled to play the 2024 season under his fifth-year option, which would pay him an estimated $17.9 million.

“Control what I can control,” Lamb added, “and that’s to be the best version of me.”

The Cowboys are believed to have extended Lamb an offer that would have paid him an estimated $33 million per year, NFL Media reported. That figure would trail only one NFL wide receiver, Vikings star Justin Jefferson, in annual salary for the position.

CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jones attend Michael Rubin’s 2024 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at the Marquee Nightclub at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Feb. 10, 2024, in Las Vegas.  (Rich Polk/Getty Images for Fanatics)

Lamb’s contract situation isn’t the only pressing issue on the Cowboys’ agenda. The upcoming regular season also marks the final year quarterback Dak Prescott is under contract. And standout linebacker Micah Parson became eligible for an extension this offseason. 

CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys warms up before an NFL wild-card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium Jan. 14, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Even head coach Mike McCarthy’s future beyond the 2024 season is in doubt. His contract expires next year.

Lamb has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons. His 135 receptions led the NFL last year.

He finished the 2023 campaign with 1,749 receiving yards, second-most in the league. Dolphins star Tyreek Hill’s 1,799 receiving yards were the most in the NFL in 2023.

The Cowboys open the season in Cleveland Sept. 8 when they take on the Browns.

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