St. Louis Rams Hire Les Snead as GM

After the Minnesota Vikings’ George Paton said no to the St. Louis Rams, the team found someone else and have hired the Atlanta Falcons’ director of player personnel, Les Snead, as their new GM.

The team will make the official announcement on Monday.

Snead has been with the Falcons for the last 13 years with the most recent three as the team’s director of player personnel. He was responsible for the scouting of pros and college players.

The interview process for Snead first began in January with team owner Stan Kroenke and then on Feb. 1 after new coach Jeff Fisher had been hired.

Snead and Paton had been expected to again speak with Kroenke over the weekend but Paton had already made up his mind and returned to the Vikings. Upon his decision, he received a promotion as the Vikings assistant general manager.

Prior to his stint with the Falcons, Snead was with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1995-97 in the pro scouting area for the team. From his tenure at the Atlanta Falcons, he has been to the Super Bowl once and three Conference Championship Games, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Stanford Routt Attracting Numerous Suitors

Oakland Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt is hitting the free agent market and is already attracting a lot of suitors. He was let go by the team on Thursday, which enabled them to avoid paying him the remaining $5 million from his five-year, $55.4 million contract.

Statistically, Routt had his best year in 2011 with a career-high four interceptions and 15 passes defended. He did also incur some less attractive numbers such as a league-leading 17 penalties for cornerbacks. According to CBS, this included eight defensive holdings, seven pass interferences, one illegal use of hands and one personal foul.

Routt also had a NFL-high nine touchdowns.

But these numbers haven’t stopped interest from the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans, according to ESPN Dallas. Routt’s agent has said the player will meet with Buffalo and Tennessee as well as potentially the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Routt isn’t perceived as a top cornerback in this year’s free agency and will most likely see a decline in his salary.