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Wade Phillips’ L.A. Rams defense has pretty much everything but a Von Miller. It almost got one, apparently.

Via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, Rams COO Kevin Demoff admits that the Rams made a play for the 2016 defensive player of the year, who would have been paired with the 2017 defensive player of the year, Aaron Donald.

“We offered a pretty aggressive package and they came back and said, ‘We just think you’re going to pick too low,'” Demoff said.

It’s hard to imagine that the Rams could have found a way to pay Donald, who’s getting $22.5 million per year in new money, and Mack, who got $23.5 million per year in new money from the Bears, along with the other stars they’ve already paid (Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks) and those still to come (Jared Goff). It’s even harder to understand why the Rams admitted this publicly.

This feels like more than an effort to create sizzle in the City of Angels by bragging about failed attempts to land a key player. Maybe the general message is that the Rams will be in play for every major player who is unhappy with his current contract and who may want out.

The specific message may be intended for someone who currently plays in L.A. With Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa being the next defensive player who is poised for a potential contract fight with his current team, the admitted pursuit of Mack represents a signal to Camp Bosa that, if the Chargers won’t pay Bosa what he wants, maybe the Rams will.