The media talks about trading Cooper Kupp, but can anyone explain how?

How will the Rams convince a team to take on Cooper Kupp’s contract?

Let’s just be very clear about what’s happening here when the media brings up the idea of the L.A. Rams trading Cooper Kupp during the season: Because Davante Adams and Amari Cooper were traded this week, the media has to move onto other potential trade targets. The Rams make a lot of sense because they’re 1-4. Kupp makes a lot of sense because he’s a 31-year-old wide receiver who wouldn’t make sense in L.A. if the team is rebuilding. And without anyone else on the Rams worth talking about other than Matthew Stafford—who is not tradeable—Cooper Kupp becomes the new “Aaron Donald”, i.e. the star player to bring up in rumors when the team is struggling.

Except there’s one big question that a writer might not address when the writer talks about the Rams trading Kupp before the deadline: “How?”

Players are not traded in the NFL. Player contracts are traded. The contract is more important than the player. The team is trading first and foremost for a contract and then the team decides whether or not the attached player is worth the contract.

Well, here’s a huge problem that stands between the Rams and trading Cooper Kupp: He is not worth his contract. Not even close. Not even close to close.

The Rams ignored every red flag about wide receivers turning 30 and extended Kupp through 2026, which is his age 33 season. Had he even made it to 31 as a valuable starting receiver, that alone would be a modern miracle. Here he is now at 31, has missed every snap since the middle of L.A.’s second game, and there is no way that there’s a single team in this league that has confidence of Kupp playing out the rest of this season without another ailment.

To throw him into the ring as a player on the trade block is merely an excuse to have Cooper Kupp’s name-image-likeness in an article about players on the trade block. It’s not real. Unless a team, including the Rams, is going to flush $10 million down the toilet, it’s just not going to happen.

Even if Kupp’s contract only had $1 million left on it, it would still be hard to imagine any team giving up anything more than a fourth or fifth round pick for a receiver who had one of the most significant hands in L.A.’s Super Bowl victory. And the Rams would even possibly take a fifth round pick for Kupp if the other team was willing to eat his entire contract.

That’s not likely to happen. Still, I hear Rams fans ask about “Should the Rams trade Cooper Kupp for a second?”

You need to be much more real about this, just as it was when I wrote that the Rams couldn’t get a real trade return for Jalen Ramsey in 2023: “Should the Rams trade Cooper Kupp for nothing?” is the question you need to answer.

Cooper Kupp’s contract

As I said, teams look into contracts before they look into players. There is no point in evaluating a player you can’t afford.

Cooper Kupp has a $15 million base salary, meaning that he makes about $882,000 per game. The Rams have played five games, so he’s made $4.4 million this season and is owed $11.6 million for the rest of the season. He also has a guaranteed $5 million in 2025.

So out of curiosity, to all the people suggesting/asking the Rams to trade Kupp, who pays the rest of his $11.6 million? Let’s say Kupp is not trade this week and he’s owed $10.7 million when he’s traded. Or $9.9 million when he’s traded. Essentially, there will be $10 million left. Who pays that?

Are you okay with the Rams eating $9 million this season—money they don’t even have—to trade Kupp for a fourth round pick?

You’re not?!?! How shocking.

Okay, let’s say that a team is going to take the $10 million off of L.A.’s hands and pay him out fully. They would not only owe Kupp $10 million this year, but at least $5 million next year. That’s a guarantee! So the acquiring team is paying $15 million for a half-season rental of a 31-year-old receiver who has missed 85% of the season.

They must be salivating over the idea of giving up a day two pick for that gem!

Trading Cooper Kupp makes sense. Trading Cooper Kupp’s contract makes so little sense as to border on impossible. If you have a way for the Rams to trade Kupp’s contract though, by all means….Explain it to me.