What Would It Take for Packers to Trade for Cooper Kupp?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Unlike Myles Garrett, who the Cleveland Browns have said they won’t trade, the Los Angeles Rams have decided to trade star receiver Cooper Kupp.

The Green Bay Packers could be interested. Their hyped young receiver corps, which finished the 2023 season on such a strong note, did not take the next step together in 2024. Complicating matters, Christian Watson figures to miss the first half of 2025 with a torn ACL and Romeo Doubs suffered a pair of concussions.

Kupp played all eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, including with Packers coach Matt LaFleur as his offensive coordinator as a rookie in 2017, so he’d arrive in Green Bay with a strong foundation in Green Bay’s offense.

Given Kupp’s age, injury history and salary, acquiring him wouldn’t be costly. One NFL executive who has helped execute trades said a fair price for Kupp would be a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick.

For a comparable, he pointed to the Bears acquiring Keenan Allen for a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft. That pick was No. 110 overall – the top third of the round – though Allen has been the more durable player.

A third-round pick by the Rams in 2017, Kupp caught 94 passes in 2019 and 92 passes in 2020 before a triple-crown winning season of 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021.

“Cooper’s been dynamite since the day he got in this league,” LaFleur said before facing the Rams in 2021. “This guy is so intelligent. He can tell you the quarterback’s reads on almost every play. And then you combine that with his skill-set and the way he works, it’s not a surprise to me that he’s having the year that he’s had up to this point.

Injuries have been a menace, though, and limited Kupp to nine games in 2022, 12 games in 2023 and 12 games in 2024. His yards per game has fallen from 114.5 in 2021 to 90.2 in 2022, 61.4 in 2023 and 59.2 in 2024.

Kupp caught almost as many touchdowns in 2021 (16) as the past three seasons combined (17).

However, that doesn’t mean Kupp wouldn’t provide a lift to the passing attack. According to Pro Football Focus:

- Kupp’s 1.99 yards per route was better than Doubs (1.67) and Dontayvion Wicks (1.42).

- Kupp’s catch percentage of 69.1 percent was better than Doubs (65.7), Watson (56.9) and Wicks (52.7).

- Kupp dropped 2.9 percent of catchable passes, vastly better than Watson (6.5 percent), Doubs (9.8 percent), Jayden Reed (15.4 percent) and Wicks (17.0 percent).

- Kupp’s 4.0 yards after the catch per catch was better than Wicks (3.8) and Doubs (3.1). He forced seven missed tackles, better than Doubs (four) and Watson (one).

“I think personally we need the guy that’s proven to be a No. 1 already,” running back Josh Jacobs told Milwaukee radio station 97.3 The Game at the Super Bowl.

The Packers need to be better on third down, where they were inconsistent all season. While he caught 16-of-29 passes on third down, he converted only seven into first downs. By contrast, Doubs caught 17-of-22 passes on third down and turned 14 of those into first downs.

In 2021, Kupp was almost unstoppable on third down with 31 receptions and 26 first downs. Only Justin Jefferson (31) and Tyreek Hill (28) had more.

“He’s a big-time threat on third down, obviously, but on all downs, and I think he’s savvier than most people give him credit for in terms of after the catch,” LaFleur said. “He is an elusive guy, he’s very slippery and you better know where he’s at on every play.”

Can Kupp get back to that dominant level – or at least close to it? Can he be a security blanket for Jordan Love, like he was with Matthew Stafford, when he caught 14 passes for 110 yards in Week 1 against Detroit?

The Rams, whose $35.7 million of cap space lags just behind Green Bay’s $39.1 million, apparently don’t think so. That’s why they are wanting to move on from a former All-Pro who is due base salaries and roster bonuses worth a combined $20.0 million in 2025 and $19.85 million in 2026.

“2024 began with one of the best training camps of my career,” Kupp wrote. “Preparations start now for 2025. Highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come.”

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"We need the guy that’s proven to be a No. 1 already."

Here's what Josh Jacobs said on @TheGameMKE and elsewhere about what the #Packers need to get to the Super Bowl.https://t.co/k86grHHY6t
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) February 5, 2025