Cooper Kupp will be in a different uniform next season. The wide receiver revealed on February 3 that the Los Angeles Rams put it on the commercial block. The Rams would not be interested in reworking the Kupp contract to keep it. Puka Nacua has clearly become the main reception option for RAMs.
The desire to pass from Kupp should not be a surprise. There were rumors that Kupp was available in a trade at the start of last season. Commercial speculation ended when the RAMs rebounded from a start of 1 to 4.
Kupp has two years worth $ 39.58 million on the contract extension of $ 80.35 million over three years, with an average of $ 26,783,333 per year, he signed in June 2022. Contract was to be treated after a 2021 season in which he became the first player to win him Triple Crown since Steve Smith in 2005 by simultaneously directing the League During receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) (1,947) and receive touchdown (16).
Kupp is expected to earn $ 20 million in 2025 and $ 19.78 million in 2026 with respective $ 29.78 million and $ 27.33 million. The $ 20 million consists of a base salary of $ 12.5 million and a bonus of $ 7.5 million from the list of the champion’s list
RAMs may be required to take part of the KUPP 2025 salary in order to facilitate a profession. Kupp will be 32 years old in June and had a hard time staying healthy since he was 2021 Nfl Attacking player of the year and Super bowl LVI MVP. He missed 18 regular season games in the past three seasons with ankle and hamstring injuries. Kupp has an average of 67 catches for 753 yards with almost six affected in 11 games during this period.
A raised ankle sprain cost five games in Kupp in 2024. He had 67 receptions, 710 yards in reception and six hits in 12 games last season.
Several large receptors accomplished (Keenan Allen, Brandin Cooks, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs and Deandre Hopkins) will be available in free agency. Davante Adams and Tyler Lockett should make victims of salary ceiling. There is also competition on the wide receiver market because the 49ers of San Francisco have granted Deebo Samuel, who is 29 years old, permission to find a trading partner.
It is not unprecedented for Rams to eat a salary to move a wide receiver. The Rams waited until Robert Woods was fully guaranteed of $ 3.5 million in the fifth day of the Ligue of the Year’s Ligue in 2022 before exchanging it to the Titans du Tennessee. Woods obtained all of the $ 13.5 million he was to win in 2022. The Titans were comfortable paying the remaining $ 10 million, although he recovered from a left ACL tear that occurred in the middle of the 2021 season.
Cooper Kupp Landing Spots: potential commercial destinations for the former All-Pro WR include Steelers and Cowboys
Bryan Deardo
The Rams were motivated to get rid of Allen Robinson after a disastrous first season in 2022 in Los Angeles where a foot injury limited to 10 games. The Rams’ desire to pay $ 10.25 million in the fully guaranteed Robinson remuneration of $ 15.25 million 2023 allowed its April 2023 exchange of Pittsburgh Steelers. Robinson reworked his contract within the framework of the trade. The $ 5 million other for 2023 were not affected, but his 2024 salary was reduced to $ 10 million, compared to $ 15.75 million.
RAMs should not have a problem responsible for the entire bonus on the $ 7.5 million KUPP list in a profession because of Robinson and Woods. The Rams would have $ 24.76 million in dead money, a salary ceiling for a player who no longer applies to the list of a team, in this case. There would be $ 5.02 million in ceiling savings of 2025 because the RAMs would no longer be conflict with the ceiling number of $ 29.78 million in Kupp. The Rams have actually lost $ 3.4 million in the 2023 ceiling space in Robinson’s trade.
Potential compensation of Kupp
Only a team like the New England Patriots with an abundance of 2025 salary ceiling space and a blatant need for the broad receiver could be willing to assume the salary of $ 20 million in Kupp. There would be $ 17.26 million in 2025 dead with RAMS by picking up $ 12.52 million in 2025 ceiling space as part of this scenario.
The RAMs should not expect more than one choice of recovery from day 3 (fourth in the seventh round) if a pretender can be found on the basis of transactions of wide receivers in recent years. Los Angeles loaders received a choice of fourth round in 2024 in the Bears of Chicago for Allen last March, when he was close to 32 years. The Bears ended up making his entire salary of $ 23.1 million in 2024. Allen was out of a 2023 pro Bowl season during which he received 108 career receptions for 1,243 yards with seven affected.
The Buffalo Bills were comfortable with 31.096 million dollars in 2024 Dead Money to offer Diggs, a choice of fourth round in 2024 and a fifth round choice in 2025 to Houston Texans for a second round choice in 2025 in Last March. The Diggs contract has been reworked in relation to trade. Its years of contract from 2025 to 2027 worth $ 56,102,941 were replaced by years of contract from 2025 to 2028 in automatically annulment on the 23rd day before the year of the 2025 League (February 17). Diggs, which was 31 years old at the end of November, also received an increase for 2024 where he earned $ 22.52 million instead of $ 19.005 million.
The 2023 season was a story of two for Diggs. He captured 49 passes for 620 yards and five affected in the first six Buffalo games. Diggs had five 100 yards in the process. During the last 11 games, Diggs has had no 100 yards and has an average of 51.2 reception yards per game. The act of disappearance continued in the playoffs where Diggs had 10 receptions for 73 yards without any touch in two games.
There were four older receptor trades after the start of the 2024 regular season which has a certain relevance. A 30-year-old Cooper was acquired by the Bills of the Cleveland Browns for a third round choice from 2025 to mid-October last season. There was also an exchange of end -of -the -round choice with the Bills obtaining a sixth round choice in 2025 and a choice of seventh round in 2026 to go to the Browns.
About at the same time as Cooper’s profession, Las Vegas Raiders adapted a request for trade from Adams at the time, then aged 31, sending it to the New York jets for a conditional choice third round in 2025. The Titans treated Hopkins, who is 32 years old, at the Chiefs of Kansas City at the end of October for a conditional choice of fifth round in 2025 when approaching the date Limit of mid-season trade. A 30 -year -old Mike Williams, who had not returned to train after tearing the ACL in his left knee at the start of the 2023 season, went to the Pittsburgh Steelers of the Jets for a fifth round choice in 2025 at the Pich on the commercial deadline.
The Dallas cowboys obtained cooks, who did not want to go through reconstruction with the Texans, for a choice of fifth round in 2023 and a choice of sixth round in 2024 in March 2023. Cooks had 35 million dollars on his contract, including a fully guaranteed basic salary of $ 18 million 2023. Texans converted $ 6 million out of $ 35 million In a signature bonus pre-exchange, so cowboys were responsible for the remaining $ 29 million.
Cooks, who played the 2023 season at the age of 30, renegotiated his contract after trade. The remaining $ 29 million has become a $ 20 million contract over two years. Cooks counted $ 12 million fully guaranteed in 2023 and $ 8 million in 2024 under this agreement. Understanding the $ 6 million that Texans paid before trade, Cooks won $ 26 million in these two years. He captured 57 assists for 699 yards with three affected in 13 games during the 2022 season.
The Rams have not obtained much in exchange for Robinson and Woods. It was just a seventh round exchange in 2023 in Robinson’s trade. Robinson having the two worst seasons of his career at that time in 2021 and 2022 decreased its commercial value. Woods opted for a sixth round choice in 2023 thanks to his knee injury.
What Rams can do
A buying team may want to renegotiate the KUPP contract. The new team paying in Kupp the 12.5 million dollars remaining for 2025 would not be unreasonable if the Rams ate its list bonus according to the mechanics of some of these other trades. Kupp essentially has a de facto non-exchange clause if a renegotiated contract is a requirement for a buying team.
It would not be surprising that the Rams end up freeing Kupp given the supply of older receptors and the history and production of Kupp’s injuries in the last three seasons. The RAMs will initially have $ 22.26 million in 2025 dead where $ 7.52 million in the 2025 ceiling room were created by releasing Kupp before the $ 2.5 million in his bonus of 7.5 million Dollars do not become a payment obligation on March 16.
Kupp would surely obtain a contract from another team for more than $ 5 million. Compensation with the bonus guarantee on the list means that RAMs will obtain the first $ 5 million from the next KUPP contract. The end result would be $ 17.26 million in dead money where RAMs earn a total for $ 12.52 million in ceiling space relating to the release of Kupp.
There would be parallels with Hopkins if there is no job. Hopkins signed an agreement of 26 million dollars over two years of maximum value of $ 33.5 million thanks to incentives with the Titans at the start of the training camp in 2023 after the Cardinals of Arizona L ‘released two months earlier towards the end of May. He was 31 years old at the time.
Hopkins had just passed through two difficult seasons where he failed to reach 1,000 yards. He had 42 receptions, 572 yards in reception and eight catches of touch in 2021. An injury to the hamstrings and the torn MCL right limited Hopkins to 10 games. He missed the first six games of the 2022 season serving a suspension for having raped the Nfl Substances policy improving performance. Hopkins captured 64 catches for 717 yards with three affected in nine games after his return from his punishment.
