Jerome Bettis Says Rams Should Have Traded Cooper Kupp Last Offseason

Former Rams RB Jerome Bettis made his feelings about the Rams handling of Cooper Kupp known during a recent interview

Aug 5, 2023; Canton, OH, USA; Jerome Bettis arrives on the red carpet for the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If anyone knows what it's like to be on the bad side of business dealing, especially by the Rams, it's Jerome Bettis. Bettis was drafted by the organization out of Notre Dame as the 10th overall pick in 1993. Bettis would record two 1,000+ yard seasons and over 3,000 yards total during his three years with the organization.

Due to Bettis not fitting into newly hired head coach Rich Brooks' scheme, Bettis was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the organization, playing ten years in the Black and Gold while winning a Super Bowl in his final game.

The Rams did not fair well under Brooks, but they did recover as they traded for Marshall Faulk a few years after, and Brooks' replacement Dick Vermeil with the Greatest Show on Turf would win Super Bowl XXXIV.

Bettis recently commented on the Rams' announcement that they would be trading Cooper Kupp, stating that the team waited too long.

"If you've got your guy, then you don't need the other guy. I think Cooper Kupp was the guy, and then Puka Nacua came and became the new guy. Now you've got two guys and you don't need them both. It's smart to get off of the other guy and it's understandable. I don't think it's such a crazy thing.” Bettis told NFL reporter DJ Siddiqi.

 “I don't think it's a purge or him changing philosophies. They've got the guy. They don't need to pay two guys a big amount to do the same thing.  You have two guys that play the same position, right? They do the same thing. You don't need the redundancy.”

In Bettis' mind, since the Rams had established Puka Nacua as the team's WR1 after the 2023 season, Kupp should have been dealt then when his value may have been higher. Bettis also shared his thoughts on Matthew Stafford stating...

“Yes, they bring back Stafford because a championship quarterback is like a needle in a haystack. If you don't have the succession plan figured out, you've got to bring him back.”

Unlike Kupp's situation, the Rams did not have a succession plan for Bettis. They did draft Lawrence Phillips the next season, but that did not work out due to poor play brought about by off-field and character issues.

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