Rams Questions at WR Go Far Beyond WR Cooper Kupp

The Los Angeles Rams plan to move on from wide receiver Cooper Kupp. However, their decision to do so only creates more questions than answers for the Rams WR corps.

Dec 22, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) points in the direction of wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) during warm ups before a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams could enter next season with new faces at two of the most critical positions on the field as they look to trade their star receiver and potentially their star quarterback.

Sterling Xie of the Pro Football Network recently released a list of the most pressing questions facing every team's wide receivers, noting that the Rams' group of wide receivers will have many question marks this offseason with the departure of veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Although the Rams have yet to find a trade partner for Kupp, they are likely to move on from him one way or another.

"The Cooper Kupp era appears over, with the Los Angeles Rams openly shopping the 31-year-old wideout. Kupp is far removed from his Triple Crown season of 2021, and has missed 18 games due to injury over the last three seasons. That combined with his declining production down the stretch could limit Kupp’s trade market," Xie said.

"Kupp averaged only 39 receiving yards per game over his final eight games, being held below 30 yards in five of those games. For the season, he averaged career lows in yards per reception (10.6) and YAC per reception (4.0). With a $29.8 million cap hit, it’s not even clear if the Rams can find a trade partner," Xie said.

Xie noted that the Rams' difficulty trading Kupp has been because of the size of his contract, compared to his production over the past few seasons. Few teams in the league will find Kupp valuable enough to take on his sizeable contract, likely leaving the Rams to figure things out on their own. Los Angeles will likely have to foot the bill for Kupp, or most of it, even though they do not want to.

"Los Angeles could improve Kupp’s value by keeping him past March 15, when they’ll have to pay $12.5 million of his salary (a $7.5 million roster bonus and $5 million base salary guarantee). But even at a reduced cap hit, the best case for the Rams would likely be what the [Tennesee] Titans received for 32-year-old DeAndre Hopkins this past season (a fifth-rounder that could become a conditional fourth)," Xie said.

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