The Rams paid huge financial penalties for extending Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald in 2022
Even though they played for the Rams, one of the most storied franchises in history as far as legendary players go, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, and Cooper Kupp will always belong to the most exclusive group of players to ever suit up for this team. That does not mean that the Rams were smart in extending all three of them in 2022 after winning the Super Bowl.
Will Les Snead’s front office make a smart decision with regards to Stafford’s next contract decision or an emotional one?
Before we answer that, re-live the financial implications of handing out raises to Stafford, Kupp, and Donald before they were even due.
2022 salary cap — 5-12 Rams
Cap Hits
Aaron Donald: $27 million
Cooper Kupp: $17.8 million
Matthew Stafford: $13.5 million
Financially, there was nothing out of bounds in 2022 even though the team collapsed and overpaid Allen Robinson in free agency to replace Robert Woods, who they released. The team could have just kept Woods, in turns out.
However, if the Rams had simply waited to extend these three players until after the 2022 season — only Stafford was scheduled to be a free agent in 2023 and the team could have tagged him at that point — they would have had a lot more information to go off of…and gotten a much bigger discount.
Kupp missed eight games, which is no surprise for a 29-year-old receiver who has an injury history, while Stafford also missed eight and Donald was inactive for six.
Without being financial hamstrung to their contracts, the Rams could have at least shopped Cooper Kupp (and gotten a significant return while he was still 30 and less expensive) after the 2022 season. Instead, they’ve paid him an insane amount for the past three seasons…the worst three seasons of his career.
If the Rams pick up Kupp’s $7.5 million roster bonus ($5 million is guaranteed), OvertheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald notes that they will have paid him $47.75 million for only ONE season of the contract he signed in 2022.
If the Rams do pick up the roster bonus this year, Kupp’s contract will sneakily go down as one of the great player contracts of all time. The Rams would have wound up paying Kupp $47.75 million for completing just one year of his three year extension where he tallied a stat line of 67/710/6. While it is not entirely fair to look at the contract through that lens (unlike many other extensions Kupp had clearly outplayed his prior deal) it is still an example of a player being able to use every bit of leverage to his advantage to make certain he maxes out his compensation.
It wasn’t rocket science: Don’t pay a player right after his best career season. It wasn’t hard to predict that Kupp would never be as good as he was in 2021 again.
2023 salary cap – 10-7 Rams (0-1 playoffs)
Cap Hits
Aaron Donald – $26 million
Cooper Kupp – $17.3 million
Matthew Stafford – $20 million
Again, these aren’t bad sums. In fact, Stafford had been a bargain in 2022 and 2023, but that was largely due to how his contract was structured and when the big payments were coming. It’s not that it’s bad business, but it’s only “great business” if the team is winning.
Okay, the Rams have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Is that the goal for the Rams? To just make the playoffs? For a team that went to two Super Bowls in McVay’s first five seasons as the head coach, it doesn’t feel like the Rams extended these three players just to make the playoffs and lose.
Since signing these deals, the Eagles have been to two Super Bowls and the Chiefs have been to all three. Are the Rams okay with not being as successful as the Eagles and 49ers have been (the other team to have made the Super Bowl) since these contracts?
Now to the part where the Rams are really overpaying. Sometimes for players who are retired, other times for a receiver who has missed 18 games in the last three seasons and is on the trade block with a contract that can’t be traded in full.
2024 salary cap – 10-7 Rams (1-1 playoffs)
Cap Hits
Aaron Donald – $24 million (retired)
Cooper Kupp – $29.8 million
Matthew Stafford – $46 million
Retired, Donald still took up a $24 million cap hit, bigger than anyone else on the team other than Kupp and Stafford. It was also $10 million more than fourth-place Rob Havenstein.
He didn’t get this cap hit because he was just a great player. No, he got it because he was a great player who had the franchise over a barrel and let them know he was perfectly okay with retiring if he didn’t set some historical contract marks on a new deal even though he was signed for several more seasons already.
Signing a four-year, $160 million extension in 2022, Stafford’s cap hit last season was a career-high and it also made him un-tradeable last offseason. The Rams said they got calls on Stafford — seemingly without hanging up immediately — but it was pointless because a trade would have left a $95 million cap hit due to his backloaded contract.
Kupp was also un-tradeable due to the contract he signed in 2022.
Any fan who argues that these were just “necessary hits” to take because of what the players did for the franchise is making an emotional argument, not a logical argument that would be in the best interest of the Rams. If the players were younger, then yes, that is logical.
But Kupp was signed for his over-30 seasons despite overwhelming evidence that over-30 receivers aren’t doing much in the NFL anymore. Donald was threatening retirement…and then he retired two years later, before his extension was done. Stafford has had completely replaceable stats since his extension:
- 91.8 passer rating (19th)
- 65% completions (18th)
- 54 touchdowns (18th), 27 interceptions (11th most)
- 7.3 Y/A (13th)
- 22-18 record as starter
What else would you expect of an over-35 quarterback who was also tied to an over-30 wide receiver?
2025 salary cap
Cap Hits
Aaron Donald – $9.7 million (retired)
Matthew Stafford – $49.7 million ($49.3m dead cap if released)
Cooper Kupp – $29.8 million ($22.3m dead cap if traded)
In his second year of retirement, Donald takes up more cap space than all but six active players on the team. One of those is Joe Noteboom, which is a void year and he’s not likely to come back. Another one of those is Jonah Jackson, a $14.6 million guard/center who could be traded or released and leave $11.4 million in dead money. Another is Kupp, who will probably leave at least $22.3 million on the books when the team parts ways with him.
The Rams have to stop throwing good money after bad and that starts with whatever they do to appease Stafford’s latest contract demands. According to Adam Schefter, it’s extension or trade for Stafford.
The Rams have to think very carefully about their future before they give into “extension” for a 37-year-old quarterback set to make $27 million in cash already.
Of course, the Rams cap hits for Kupp aren’t going to stop in 2025. If they don’t do a post-June 1 release, Kupp will leave $22.3 million dead cap in 2025 and $7.5 million in 2026.
A post-June 1 release leaves a $15 million dead cap in 2025 and $15 million in 2026.
Trading Stafford leaves a $45.3 million dead cap hit in 2025 and $22.7 million in 2026.
The Rams could be paying $38 million in cap space to Stafford and Kupp in 2026, a year after they’re gone. It’s just more of the same as what they’ve dealt with because of Aaron Donald’s last bonus.
Is this really the bed that Les Snead wants to climb into again?
The Rams can’t make an emotional investment with Stafford
If the Rams feel they can win the Super Bowl next season with Stafford, then they’re going to have to build a better team around him. Something that’s hard to do because of the investments they made in 2022. But the Rams can’t extend Stafford because they think they might be better with the players they already have or they might still win it with Stafford in 2026 or 2027.
Stafford might retire next year! And he’s not going to care if it leaves $70 million in dead cap space. That’s not really his problem anymore. If the Rams choose to pay him, as we’ve seen with Donald, there are no take-backs. If Stafford gets hurt as the oldest QB in the NFC, if not the NFL, there are no take-backs.
Do the Rams really believe that Stafford can help them win another Super Bowl? Then they have to keep him. If the Rams are paying Stafford “because they feel he deserves it” or “because it might be hard to find another QB who could also go 10-7”, then they have to leave his contract alone or trade him.
Leave emotions on the field. Let logic do the business.
