Cooper Kupp deserves better

Rams are doing Kupp dirty after star wideout announces LA is working to trade him

On Monday afternoon, Cooper Kupp announced over social media that the Los Angeles Rams plan to “seek a trade immediately.” Nothing about the news is overly shocking considering all the rumors floating about, but disheartening nonetheless to see how the Rams are treating the star wideout. It’s hard not to feel like Kupp deserves better from the only team he’s ever known.

I must acknowledge that I agree with the Rams’ decision to trade Kupp. Since his record-breaking 2021 campaign, he has missed 16 games due to injury. Again, I’m behind the decision; I disagree with how it’s being handled, so Kupp has every reason to be miffed.

The NFL is a business and doesn’t owe any player a thing—franchise face or not. Even then, this is no way to treat someone who carried the Rams to their second Lombardi Trophy. The 2022 Super Bowl MVP had a season for the ages which will be hard to top.

LA faithful are well aware it’s no longer 2021 since Kupp hasn’t been anywhere close to the same player. The pending move is somewhat perplexing because the Rams were close to reaching the NFC Championship. They should be reloading this offseason instead of alienating a player who wanted to finish his career in Los Angeles, and is a security blanket for Matthew Stafford.

This news reeks of Les Snead trying to get out of another godawful contract.

In December 2023, I wrote that Kupp’s Rams era had run its course, and everyone had fun ripping me to shreds in the comments. Everything about writing that article pained me, and yet, I stand by what I said. While many of you were busy calling my article “clickbait”—don’t think I’ve forgotten Jim Everett—I ended up being right, and trust me, that’s not a victory lap I’ve enjoyed taking. Among other things, I wrote about Kupp’s tricky cap situation:

“Les Snead and the front office should attempt to move on from Kupp while they can still get a somewhat decent return for him. However, the receiver’s contract makes it tricky and potentially unattractive to any teams brave enough to take it on.

Kupp was re-signed to a three-year $80.1 million extension in June 2022. According to Spotrac, moving on from him during the 2024 offseason would create a $29,780,000 cap hit and a dead cap hit of $47,040,000. LA has a potential out in the 2025 offseason as the dead cap hit would go down to $17,260,000. Luckily the Rams have plenty of experience getting out from under bad contracts with Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks and Jared Goff to name a few.

The Cooper Kupp era hath runneth its course in Los Angeles and the Rams must cut bait before things get really ugly.”

Guess what? Things have gotten ugly and Snead is highly unlikely to get much—if any—return for the receiver. Like I said, I’m not trying to rub it in anyone’s face, but LA’s front office has done Kupp a complete disservice by waiting so long to trade him.

Yes, the NFL can be a cruel business, and Monday was another reminder of that fact, Kupp doesn’t deserve to be discarded like a piece of trash after all he’s done for the franchise. Loyalty is nonexistent in this league or any for that matter. I cannot imagine the pain fans are going through after seeing Aaron Donald retire, and now this.

Cooper Kupp will forever be a legend in Hollywood, it’s just painful knowing he’ll be suited up in someone else’s colors next season. I’ll root for him wherever he goes—even if he ends up with the 49ers or Chiefs. Okay, nope, thinking of that made me throw up in my mouth.

Damn it, why does saying goodbye have to be so hard?

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images