Cooper Kupp wouldn’t be the first

Sean McVay and the Rams have not shied away from saying goodbye to players in the past

Unless something changes, the Los Angeles Rams will be moving on from Cooper Kupp. Moving on from Kupp would fit in line with Sean McVay saying goodbye to other key receivers in the past like Sammy Watkins, Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods.

Watkins, Cooks, Woods and Kupp were all once integral to the success of McVay the Rams.

• Watkins joined the Rams in McVay’s first season as head coach and he didn’t have the biggest yardage total, but he did rack up eight touchdowns. Watkins did not re-sign with the team.
• Cooks joined the Rams in McVay’s second year with the team after Watkins was not re-signed, and in that initial season he had over 1,200 yards and helped get L.A. to the Super Bowl. Cooks even racked up 120 yards in that loss to the New England Patriots.
• Woods was one of McVay’s first signings when he joined the Rams. Woods may not get the media attention that the others on my list have, but he was everything L.A. could want and more. Bobby Trees helped set the standard for what the Rams’ receivers are today.
• Kupp is expected to be on his way out with the Rams, but with a Super Bowl ring, a Triple Crown on his resume and a Super Bowl MVP in his trophy case, what hasn’t Kupp done for L.A.?

McVay and the Rams moved on from Watkins, Cooks and Woods and arguably were better for it. Is Kupp next in line?

When the Rams moved on from Watkins after his lone season with the Rams, they found a way to add Brandin Cooks and they went to a Super Bowl. A couple seasons later, the Rams moved on from Cooks and he hasn’t been the player he was with the Rams.

Woods is admittedly a little different because L.A. may have been better off keeping him over signing Allen Robinson, but either way Woods has not come close to the production he had since McVay and the Rams moved on.

Has Kupp been essential to the Rams since he was drafted by the team in 2017? Yes. Can Kupp still play at a high level? Maybe. Do McVay and Les Snead think they can get more from other players and spend elsewhere? They must, or they wouldn’t be considering this move.

History has shown the Rams know when to move on from their players. There is always risk, but McVay and Snead have been right enough times to be given the benefit of the doubt from the fans and the public. Now, everyone must be patient and see how this plays out.

If moving on from Kupp does turns out to be a disaster, then we’ll have plenty of time to go back and look at how wrong this article was, but more importantly how wrong McVay and the Rams were.