Cooper Kupp is going to be in a different uniform next season. The wide receiver revealed on Feb. 3 that the Los Angeles Rams put him on the trading block. The Rams reportedly aren’t interested in reworking Kupp’s contract to keep him around. Puka Nacua has clearly emerged as the Rams’ primary receiving option.
The desire to move on from Kupp shouldn’t be a surprise. There were rumors of Kupp being available in a trade early last season. The trade speculation ended as the Rams rebounded from a 1-4 start.
Kupp has two years worth $39.58 million remaining on the three-year, $80.35 million contract extension, averaging $26,783,333 per year, he signed in June 2022. His contract needed to be addressed after a 2021 season in which he became the first player to win the receiving triple crown since Steve Smith in 2005 by simultaneously leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16).
Kupp is scheduled to make $20 million in 2025 and $19.78 million in 2026 with respective $29.78 million and $27.33 million salary cap numbers. The $20 million consists of a $12.5 million base salary and a $7.5 million fifth day of the league year roster bonus that’s due on March 16 where $5 million of this $7.5 million is fully guaranteed without an offset.
The Rams may be required to take on some of Kupp’s 2025 salary in order to facilitate a trade. Kupp will be 32 in June and has had a hard time staying healthy since being the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl LVI MVP. He’s missed 18 regular-season games over the last three seasons with ankle and hamstring injuries. Kupp has averaged 67 catches for 753 yards with nearly six touchdowns in 11 games during this span.
A high ankle sprain cost Kupp five games in 2024. He had 67 receptions, 710 yards receiving and six touchdown catches in 12 games last season.
Several accomplished older wide receivers (Keenan Allen, Brandin Cooks, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins) are going to be available in free agency. Davante Adams and Tyler Lockett are expected to be salary cap casualties. There’s also competition in the wide receiver trade market as the San Francisco 49ers have granted Deebo Samuel, who is 29, permission to find a trading partner.
It isn’t unprecedented for the Rams to eat salary to move a wide receiver. The Rams waited until after Robert Woods‘ fully guaranteed $3.5 million fifth day of the league year roster bonus was due in 2022 before trading him to the Tennessee Titans. Woods got the entire $13.5 million he was scheduled to make in 2022. The Titans were comfortable paying Woods the remaining $10 million although he was recovering from a left ACL tear that occurred during the middle of the 2021 season.
The Rams were motivated to get rid of Allen Robinson after a disastrous 2022 debut season in Los Angeles where a foot injury limited him to 10 games. A willingness by the Rams to pay $10.25 million of Robinson’s fully guaranteed $15.25 million 2023 compensation made his April 2023 trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers possible. Robinson reworked his contract in connection with the trade. The other $5 million for 2023 wasn’t touched but his 2024 salary was reduced to $10 million from $15.75 million.
The Rams shouldn’t have an issue being responsible for Kupp’s entire $7.5 million roster bonus in a trade because of Robinson and Woods. The Rams would have $24.76 million of dead money, a salary cap charge for a player no longer on a team’s roster, in this instance. There would be $5.02 million of 2025 cap savings as the Rams would no longer be contending with Kupp’s $29.78 million 2025 cap number. The Rams actually lost $3.4 million of 2023 cap space in the Robinson trade.