Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp informed fans that the club intends to trade him in the offseason via a social media post made Monday.
“I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships,” Kupp wrote. “I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA.”
“Still, if there’s one thing that I have learned over the years: there are so many things that are out of your control, but it is how you respond to these things that you will look back on and remember.”
“I have taken so much pride in playing alongside my teammates for the LA community, so thank you for embracing my family and making this such a special place for us. 2024 began with one of the best training camps of my career. Preparations start now for 2025. Highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come. Love you guys.. But coming for it all.”
The 31 year old wideout led the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), receiving TD’s (16) and receiving yards per game (114.5) in 2021. Since then however, he’s yet to record more than 812 yards receiving or catch more than 6 TDs in a season as a variety of injuries have held him to 9, 12, and 12 games over the last 3 NFL campaigns.
After signing a 3 year, $80.1M contract extension, Kupp remains under team control through the 2026 NFL season at an AAV of $26.7M. If Los Angeles were to cut him, they would incur a $22.6M dead cap hit, which is why they’ll look to move the veteran wideout in the offseason.
With the emergence of WR Puka Nacua, and a solid group of pass catchers available in the upcoming NFL Draft and free agency, LA will have some options to replace Kupp’s production on offence if they can find a willing trade partner.
The Rams are slated to pick 26th overall this spring on draft night.
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