Cooper Kupp out. Davante Adams in.
Sean McVay heavily recruited former Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Jets receiver Davante Adams over the weekend before the Los Angeles Rams inked the veteran to a reported two-year, $46M deal. Adams will join Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell, and Jordan Whittington at receiver in LA.
It’s not abnormal for reported salary numbers to differ from reality, and that’s again the case between Adams and the Rams. While LA could keep him around for 2026 at a $30M cap hit, it is reasonably possible to move on after one season with $12M in dead cap and $18M in savings. That’s good news if you are worried that Adams might go the way of former Rams receiver Allen Robinson.
On the surface it’s somewhat odd that Los Angeles isn’t willing to keep Cooper Kupp around—they’ve been working for weeks to find a trade partner for him—but were happy to fork out the cash for Adams. Let’s dive deeper and take a look at all the reasons this signing makes sense for the Rams:
Availability is the best ability
Kupp has missed a lot of time for the Rams since 2021. Puka Nacua is no stranger to injuries either.
You can’t say the same about Adams. He’s eclipsed over 1,000 yards in each of his last five seasons and was just three yards shy in 2019 of making it seven straight. 2019 was also the last season in which he didn’t play at least 14 games. He was still available for 12 contests that year.
It’s not the say that the Rams are getting an innings eater in Adams; however, if you are going to commit money to an older receiver, it has to feel positive that you are acquiring someone with as good of a track record as any.
Execution in the red zone
It’s no secret the the Rams have struggled in the red zone of late. The return of Tyler Higbee helped in this area towards the end of last season. Still, after re-signing Tutu Atwell this was a fair question for the 2025 group of pass catchers.
Adams caught 14 and eight touchdowns in his two seasons with the Raiders despite poor quarterback play. He caught another eight between his stints with the Raiders and Jets last year. His 6-1, 215 lbs. frame will be a useful addition in the red zone.
Davante Adams has always been an elite route runner and man coverage beater.
Adams was one of 16 qualified WRs with over 2.5 yards per route run against man coverage last season, despite being in 2 separate offenses. https://t.co/vIuHSoqc7t pic.twitter.com/Au6RbXJvXm
— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) March 9, 2025
In the early McVay years the Rams acquired Sammy Watkins from the Buffalo Bills and his best contributions came at the goal line. Odell Beckham, Jr. played a similar role in the leadup to Super Bowl LVI in 2021. There’s no reason to think that Adams can’t slide into this role and even excel. That’s good news for Matthew Stafford and the Rams.
Low cost to acquire
The Jets sent the Raiders a third-round pick in order to acquire Adams for what became only an 11-game tenure. Because New York had released Adams, he won’t count against the league’s compensatory pick formula. The Rams have used that to their advantage on the eve of free agency in recent years with Leonard Floyd and others, although they don’t have many free agents this offseason that could bring back substantial compensatory capital.
As mentioned earlier, this is effectively a one-year deal for Adams. If he becomes and important contributor in Los Angeles, he could stick around on a $30M cap number in 2026. If not, at least the Rams are trying to put the pedal to the metal for one more year with Matthew Stafford. That’s a much wiser move than trading a third-round pick or committing long-term to a receiver when you might have bigger questions at quarterback in the near future.
