Rams QB Matthew Stafford acknowledged that he doesn’t expect to play with Cooper Kupp this year
Rumors are worth as much as the Internet paper that they’re printed on, but the Rams trying to trade Cooper Kupp is not a rumor. The player has said (on Internet paper, to be fair) himself that the team is trying to trade him against his wishes. What is a rumor is whether or not the L.A. Rams will do the same with Matthew Stafford, but the quarterback acknowledged on Wednesday that he’s going to miss playing with Kupp.
In an interview with CBS Sports, Stafford says he will miss Kupp and said he has probably spent more time with him than any other teammate in his career.
Matthew Stafford’s thoughts on the Kupp Trade situation pic.twitter.com/9waUjb7zfC
— RamsNation (@LARamsey46) February 5, 2025
Everything else Stafford said about Kupp is both probably true and also irrelevant. He says everything we’d expect a player to say about a teammate — especially one who he set records and won a Super Bowl with — which is that he’s great to have in the locker room and an exceptional player.
The question for Kupp and the Rams is not if Kupp is a great teammate, but how valuable he is to a team in 2025. Will a team pay $20 million for him? Probably not. Will they pay the $12.5 million he’s owed after his roster bonus is paid — $5 million of which is guaranteed? Maybe. But do the Rams want to pay $7.5 million to get a day three draft pick when they could just save some money and let Kupp choose his next team on his own? Probably for more than $12.5 million guaranteed.
Trading Kupp will prove difficult, but his departure is all but guaranteed.
