In retrospect, Jim Everett got a bad rap. He feuded with Jim Rome (who called him “Chris” after tennis star Chris Evert), the Rams surrendered a steep package for his rights, and he finished with an overall losing record as a starter. All of that is true. But Everett was not exactly blessed with the most consistent supporting cast or organizational stability during his Los Angeles years, and the numbers he put up still clear a path into the franchise’s all-time Top 50.

The path to the Rams began in the 1986 NFL Draft. Houston selected the Purdue product third overall, behind Bo Jackson and Tony Casillas. With Warren Moon already entrenched, contract talks dragged. Midway through September—after the regular season had already started—the Oilers traded Everett’s rights to Los Angeles for All-Pro guard Kent Hill, defensive end William Fuller, the Rams’ 1987 first-round pick, their 1987 fifth-round pick, and their 1988 first-round pick. Coach John Robinson called it a “dynamic move” for the future. Everett signed a multi-year deal and arrived as the long-term answer under center.

He took over quickly. After limited action in 1986, Everett became the full-time starter in 1987 and then exploded. In 1988, he led the NFL with 31 touchdown passes while throwing for 3,964 yards. In 1989 he followed with 29 more scores and a franchise-record 4,310 passing yards (second in the league), guiding the Rams to an 11-5 record and the NFC Championship Game. From 1988 through 1990, he ranked second in the NFL in passing yards three straight seasons. A 1990 Pro Bowl selection capped the peak stretch. 

The supporting pieces were talented—Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson formed a dangerous receiving duo under offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese—but the roster around him was never elite for long. After the 1989 near-miss, financial pressure and roster turnover set in. By 1991, the team was in freefall. Chuck Knox’s arrival brought a more run-oriented approach, and Everett’s efficiency dipped. In 1993, he was benched midseason for T.J. Rubley amid heavy interceptions and a struggling offense. The next March, with the new salary cap looming and little trade interest, the Rams dealt him to the New Orleans Saints for a 1995 seventh-round pick, primarily for cap relief

Across his Rams tenure, he threw for well over 20,000 yards (officially 23,758) and 142 touchdowns.