Two high-profile receiver trades took place this week, and Davante Adams and Amari Cooper are now off the market. Several other options at that position represent targets for contending teams, though, and Cooper Kupp is one of them. 
The Adams and Cooper deals generated increased communication amongst teams for other potential trades, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network details. Among the teams receiving calls were the Rams, with contenders eyeing Kupp as a possible mid-season acquisition. It remains to be seen how interested Los Angeles will be in considering any deal sending the All-Pro to a new team for the first time in his career, but it is certainly noteworthy that suitors are gauging his market.
Kupp has been a focal point in the Rams’ passing game throughout his eight-year career, one which of course reached its peak in 2021. That Triple Crown-winning campaign saw him post 145 receptions, 1,947 yards 16 touchdowns en route to Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP honors. Injuries have been an issue since then, however, and Kupp has been sidelined since Week 2 of the current campaign with an ankle injury. The Rams expect to have him back on Sunday.
Especially with 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Puka Nacua still out of the picture, having Kupp available for Los Angeles will provide a major boost on offense. With the team sitting at 1-4 on the year, improved performance in all areas will be needed for a postseason berth to be possible in 2024. Further losses ahead of the November 5 trade deadline could steer the Rams toward a seller’s standpoint, although even in that case moving Kupp would not be a simple process.
The 31-year-old remains attached to the extension he landed in June 2022. That pact leaves him on the books through 2026, a stark contrast to the situation for many other players (generally pending free agents) who get moved during the season. Kupp is due $20MM next year, including a $7.5MM roster bonus to be paid out in March; $5MM of the latter figure became guaranteed this past offseason. He is set to carry a $29.78MM cap hit in 2025, and that will drop to $27.33MM the following year (during which none of his base salary is guaranteed). Any acquiring team would no doubt engage in a restructure in the event Kupp were to be dealt.
The Rams’ 2024 offseason saw Aaron Donald retire, leaving them without a foundational defender. Quarterback Matthew Stafford – who, along with Kupp, remains an offensive pillar – faced questions about his future before a restructured contract was worked out. At the age of 36, though, it would not come as a surprise if Loa Angeles were to explore a succession plan soon at the quarterback spot. Committing to a youth movement would make a Kupp trade more feasible from the Rams’ perspective, but they would no doubt command a heavy price to consider one.
Even without Adams or Cooper available anymore, the likes of Christian Kirk, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams, Diontae Johnson and Darius Slayton have been connected to trade talk (to one extent or another) recently. Any or all of those could be targeted by contending teams, but Kupp is on the radar of potential buyers as well. His situation will be worth watching closely.
Let’s just make this clear… he will not be in Pittsburgh
Top landing spots if they do move him: Falcons. Commanders. Steelers. Chiefs. Saints. Broncos. Chargers or Bucs
Saints are a team going no where.
Bucs make no sense, need a TE more than another wr. Palmer and JMac once healthy can step in as 3rd also need to lean on running if Tucker is good. Thy are more likely to add defense with most of the injuries there.
Don’t try to hide you’re a homer. List your team because you want him. Then 5 random teams talking heads will mention. Sandwiched with two maybes.
Falcons makes sense because Zac Robinson from rams is our OC and Raheem our coach was just there. But by all means make assumptions lmao
I didn’t think about the connections. Maybe they can trade Penix and get Kupp and a 5th lol
Penix ain’t going nowhere. And every team I mentioned makes sense. Saints just lost one of their best WRs to a season ending injury
His body has been a mess after that high usage season. Too many miles on that body
Tell me more about that body.
As a Steelers fan, I’d love to see Kupp in Black and Gold. Washington would be a great landing spot for him too.
He wont leave the Rams … Stafford needs him. Hopefully he can stay healthy but when will Nacua join them?
Believe they extended Stafford, don’t see them moving Kupp. Rams are a team that does not want to truly rebuild but they should. Stafford is closer to being done.
I mentioned before that I believed Kupp to be a trade target, and Snead as we know is never shy to make a deal. I don’t think that the Rams will ask for too much, but you have to be prepared that Kupp’s injuries could impede his bounce back ability. There are a ton of teams that I could see benefitting from a trade. If the Rams were doing better, I could see them keeping him, but given how much turnover has occurred and how they’ve already tried to shed their Stafford extension in the last few years, L.A. seems closer to heading for a rebuild than a reload.
Love the player. Everyone knows they will ask for the moon and settle for Mars. He isn’t going anywhere because what they will be asking will not be worth the risk.
All eyes are on the Dodgers so this is the perfect time to embark on an overdue rebuild.
Kupp doesn’t have too much tread left on the tires. At this point it feels like LA knows this and is just trying to get something for him while they still can. I like Kupp, I think him and Stafford can still play well together for another couple of season but I do not think Kupp will be any where near as productive without Stafford as he is with Stafford.
Declining production since 2021…..good comment….he’s still a capable WR option but the glory days pre 2021 are over……
Rams should move him. His best football is behind him.
KC Kupp would cause the heads of Chiefs Haters to simultaneously explode
Taylor Swift: “No one could possibly hate the Chiefs…that would be like saying there are people who don’t love my music”.
your avatar perfectly illustrates my reaction to her