Does Rams' Cooper Kupp Now Make Sense For Jaguars?

The Jacksonville Jaguars at last have their new front office leader in former Los Angeles Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone. And by all accounts, it appears the Jaguars are well on their way to attempting to become the eastern version of the Rams inside and out.

Gladstone is the second major hire the Jaguars have made this offseason with deep Rams ties. The first, of course, was the hiring of head coach Liam Coen last month. Between the two, there are 13 combined years of experience working alongside Sean McVay and Les Snead.

That of course will beg one question throughout the entirety of the offseason: which current or former Rams make sense to join the duo in Jacksonville?

Not Matthew Stafford, of course. The Jaguars have their franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. They need to find a suitable backup still, but Stafford doesn't fit that bill in any reality.

That brings us to the second biggest Ram who could find himself traded this offseason: wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

Kupp was placed on the trading block by the Rams several weeks ago, and we could see movement on his market once free agency kicks off next month. The former receiving Triple Crown winner isn't the dominant No. 1 receiver he once was, but he has still caught 17 touchdowns and 2.259 yards over the last three seasons despite missing 18 games in that span.

Kupp clearly has some deep ties now with the Jaguars as well. Coen was the Rams' assistant wide receivers coach in Kupp's second and third seasons in the NFL and was then his offensive coordinator in 2022 when he caught 75 passes for 812 yards and six touchdowns in just nine games.

An injury-riddled season, yes, but when on the field Coen and the Rams were able to get plenty of production out of Kupp. Coen knows his skill set and character and, more importantly, would know how to deploy Kupp in his offense.

Gladstone was with the Rams since the year before they drafted Kupp, so he has seen each and every one of his reps over the years and knows exactly what his value should be and, more importantly, what the Rams are asking for him to begin with. Gladstone's relationship with the Rams' office would also likely help facilitate a deal if that was the path the Jaguars wanted to go down.

There are a few reasons why a Kupp move wouldn't make sense, however. Firstly is the fact that while Gladstone is from the Rams' front office and likely values Kupp a great deal, he is also coming from the same front office that has decided to move on from Kupp. At this stage of his career and at his price point, it is easy to see why the Rams feel this way. It is easier to see why Gladstone may agree.

The Jaguars also have their fair share of investments in pass-catchers as is, with big cap hits set to go to the likes of Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis and Evan Engram. Unless one or two of these changes over the next month, it certainly seems like a bloated room from a cap perspective. Adding Kupp wouldn't make sense in that scenario.

The Jaguars could opt to rebuild their pass-catcher group completely around Brian Thomas Jr., and perhaps Kupp could be part of that change. But for now, there are enough reasons to think a move shouldn't or won't happen, even with the deep Rams connections.

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