Cooper Kupp says the Rams told the star receiver they are going to trade him

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6111146/2025/02/03/cooper-kupp-trade-rams-exploring-nfl/?source=emp_shared_article

The Los Angeles Rams have informed Cooper Kupp that they are seeking a trade for the star receiver, he said in a post on X on Monday, after he ended the season uncertain about his future with the team he helped lead to a Super Bowl victory.

“I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA,” Kupp wrote.

“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.”

Kupp said one day after the Rams’ divisional-round loss in Philadelphia in January that he planned to play football in 2025, though allowed that the location was uncertain. The Rams had trade conversations about Kupp with other teams ahead of this year’s deadline, of which he was aware.

“Do I want to play next year? Oh yeah,” he said, laughing. “There’s no doubt in my mind I want to play football. I feel like I’ve got a lot of good football left in me. I definitely will be playing — I will be playing football next year. That much I know.”

A multiyear team captain, Kupp was the NFL’s triple crown winner and Super Bowl MVP in 2021, and had spent his entire career in L.A. after he was drafted in the third round in 2017. The 2021 Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year said he is expecting to have a full and healthy offseason.

Kupp, 31, finished the regular season with 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. His targets dwindled during the back stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs. He had four catches on nine targets over the last three regular-season games, was targeted once for one catch against Minnesota in the wild-card round and caught five passes on seven targets against the Eagles in the divisional-round loss. In his 14 games (including the postseason) this season, Kupp had 10 or more targets just four times and eight or more targets six times.

Injuries have been partially to blame as Kupp has dealt with ailments in each of the last three seasons. He played in just nine regular-season games in 2022, and 12 games apiece in 2023 and 2024 — with a high ankle sprain costing him time this season.

That dip in production did not meet his current salary in the Rams’ eyes. In 2022, Kupp signed a three-year, $80 million contract extension with the Rams. His salary-cap numbers in 2025 and 2026 are $29.7 million and $27.3 million, respectively, with $5 million in guarantees in 2025 and none in 2026, according to Over the Cap. He also is owed roster bonuses of $12.5 million combined over the next two seasons per OTC. The $7.5 million roster bonus owed to Kupp in 2025 triggers on March 19.

A league source said that the Rams did not directly ask Kupp to restructure his existing contract in order to stay in L.A., although to make a trade more appealing to prospective teams an adjusted contract is likely still a possibility.

In separate news conferences in late January, neither coach Sean McVay (who has spent his entire tenure with Kupp) nor general manager Les Snead would commit to Kupp’s future with the Rams.

Instead, Snead seemed to speak carefully about Kupp, almost as if his tenure were in the past tense, though without using language that direct.

“I can say that if you’re speaking about Cooper or Matthew (Stafford), I don’t even know if I could put into words what they’ve meant to this organization. I think I probably have a picture behind me somewhere where it’s Cooper Kupp catching a ball at SoFi on the last weekend of the NFL season,” Snead said. “A ball thrown by Matthew Stafford (changed) the course of this franchise. There is a banner hanging in that stadium that only one team gets a year. What can I say about that? Those moments, a lot of memories, and a lot of pictures, that’s what they mean to us.”

The future of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who does expect to continue playing (as he said in the locker room in Philadelphia), is also a topic in question for the Rams. Stafford adjusted his contract to move most of its remaining guarantees to the 2024 season, effectively rendering it a one-year deal.

The Rams must decide whether to adjust the contract again, or part ways with Stafford. Neither Snead nor McVay expressly committed to the veteran quarterback in their end-of-season news conferences, though allowed that figuring out his situation is a top priority.

One hasta post things like this. It’s the scuttlebutt surrounding a news story.
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Which teams might consider trading for Cooper Kupp? Here are 10 potential landing spots (blame @KyleAMadson, not me, for No. 10) https://t.co/2OXw3D9gT8

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) February 4, 2025

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"He was the hero of their Super Bowl run. Now all of a sudden he's expendable? Think about how shocking that sounds here."

—@LRiddickESPN on the Rams seeking to trade WR Cooper Kupp pic.twitter.com/NeSU02nimt

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 4, 2025

The #Texans are hiring #Rams TEs coach and pass game coordinator Nick Caley as their new OC, as CJ Stroud and the Houston offense get a new play-caller, per me and @TomPelissero.

Caley drew interest from the #Jets and #Patriots. He was selective and lands in Houston. pic.twitter.com/Ol2stMfgDT

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 3, 2025

Alt National Park Service
·
We are fully aware that, in time, we will face retribution for the information we are sharing with the American public. However, we remain committed to standing as a line of defense. When resistance members block efforts by Elon Musk’s staff, they are placed on administrative leave, their personal belongings searched, and their offices and computers locked. Our coalition now includes over 50,000 federal employees from across the government.
We want to remind Americans why Elon Musk’s actions are illegal. The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was not established by Congress but was instead granted authority through an executive order by Trump, making its operations illegal. It is not an official department of the federal government. This system could provide Musk with a mechanism to unilaterally restrict the disbursement of funds approved by Congress—a move that has historically faced significant legal challenges.
DOGE teams have begun demanding access to data and systems at other federal agencies. However, none of these agencies control the flow of money in the way the Treasury Department does. Access to the federal payment system has always been tightly restricted due to its inclusion of sensitive personal information about millions of Americans who rely on Social Security checks, tax refunds, and other government payments.
In fiscal year 2023, the Treasury Department disbursed over $5 trillion through this system in a process typically overseen by civil servants. The stakes are incredibly high, and it is vital for Americans to understand the gravity of these actions. Please continue to spread the word and raise awareness.

BREAKING 🚨

The NFL is set to host a game in Melbourne, Australia in 2026 between the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, per @theheraldsun

This game will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a 100,000-seated stadium during October.

The NFL plans to host 3 games… pic.twitter.com/wqtUo0NHE0

— Ozzy (@OzzyNFL) February 1, 2025

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2025/01/30/rams-free-agency-alaric-jackson-re-sign-contract/?taid=679e0cca05ee160001b0f36a&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

Pro Football Focus doesn’t think the Rams should let [Alaric] Jackson reach free agency, calling him the one player they can’t afford to lose this offseason.

Jackson broke out as a legitimate force at left tackle for the Rams this season. His 78.4 PFF overall grade was the second-best mark on the team and a top-20 mark among all tackles. It’s tough to envision the Rams letting go of a player at a premium position who showed legitimate improvement at just 26 years old.

Jackson has gone from undrafted rookie to one of the best left tackles in the game, coming off his most impressive season yet in 2024.

Eagles LB Nolan Smith says Matthew Stafford is a Special Quarterback

Via 🎥(@GOATfarmmedia) pic.twitter.com/opCWqZc4iJ

— LAFB Network (@LAFBNetwork) January 28, 2025

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/lists/rams-best-worst-players-2024-season-studs-duds/?taid=679b156421b267000184c8f2&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

OLB Jared Verse

Verse had an immediate impact on the Rams as a rookie this season, starting from Day 1 and becoming their best edge rusher throughout the year. His 89 total pressures in the regular season and playoffs were the most of any player in the NFL, consistently winning against some of the league’s best left tackles.

He improved against the run as the season went on, too. He finished with an 85.5 pass-rush grade and 81.0 run defense grade, leading all Rams players (min. 100 snaps) with an overall grade of 89.3. The next-closest player was Kobie Turner with a grade of 75.1.

Verse exceeded even the highest expectations in Year 1 as a pro.

Zooey wrote:

I may be the only non-KC fan to be pulling for the Chiefs. I did not see the games last Sunday, and Championship Sunday is usually my favorite weekend (unless the Rams are in the SB). I punched into the NFC game near the end of the 1st half, and there was pushing, shoving, and facemask pulling, followed by replays of earlier animosities, and I was suddenly filled with hatred for the Eagles. Dunno why them, particularly. I think the fact that WA has changed its name, and Snyder is gone, and Snyder is rooting against WA, and the fact that WA never really did any serious damage to the Rams, coupled with the arrogance of Eagles’ comments before they beat the Rams…

I’m for the Chiefs. I have no reason to hate them. Reid is just good. Spags is good. Mahomes is good. They don’t deflate footballs, or illegally film opponents’ practices.

And. Like I said earlier, Brady never won 3 in a row. So that’s that.

You make a good case.

Plus the Chiefs might show people how you defend Barkley.

Jaguars interview Rams assistant Aubrey Pleasant for defensive coordinator job https://t.co/9tsqTYuhbY pic.twitter.com/cytA04amcu

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) January 28, 2025

Wyatt Miller@wymill07
The Rams utilized both pre-snap motion and play-action passes at the second-highest rate in the league this year.

They ranked in the top 8 in success rate in both.

2025 Los Angeles Rams Draft Targets: Ranking The Top 5 Rams Position Needs @Rams_LAFB https://t.co/B8jmd7qDmy

— LAFB Network (@LAFBNetwork) January 27, 2025

wv wrote:

fumbling, to me, is a HUGE problem. That fumble in the Eagle game should not have happened.

w
v

Fumbles