It’s rare for a team to land any player in the draft who ends up being as good as Puka Nacua, let alone in the fifth round, but to what extent must that team go to reward the player if he’s not doing enough to protect the team? Sean McVay told the media this week that he wants Nacua to be on the Rams for a “really long time”, but also expressed some level of disappointment with regards to the off-field headlines dating back to last year and that it’s going to take more than stats to earn a long-term contract in L.A..
After the Seahawks set a bar of $42 million per season for Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the NFL’s highest paid receiver, Nacua the player would have a really strong argument to make at least $43 million.
However, McVay isn’t sold that being a great player is enough and told the media that when it comes to an extension, those decisions are “not exclusive to just the production on the field.”
McVay added that he’s had to talk to Nacua this year about being responsible and to think about how he’s representing the Rams organization, but also that he trusts Nacua is a good human being and he’s not going to rush to judgment:
“You guys know, I trust this kid’s heart,” McVay said at the annual league meeting. “Love him, put your arm around him, want to continue to help him grow. And, really, get all the appropriate facts before I rush to judgment on that particular situation. But I will say, knowing this guy for three years, is I do trust his heart. I trust the human being. And I want to be able to put my arm around him.”
With stories connecting Nacua to things like appearing to be publicly intoxicated or being sued for allegedly biting a women, those are the type of behaviors that make some teams think twice before guaranteeing a player over $100 million.
“The play on the field is amazing, and with what the play has dictated and determined, there’s a responsibility in terms of representing all things — not exclusive to just that. He knows that. Those are the expectations. And we’re hopeful that will be something that, this is an opportunity for him to learn and grow, and we are hopeful that he’s a Ram for a really long time.”
The offseason has been the type of news that has gone so far that even Rams fans are speculating if it’s the right time to trade Nacua while he still has a lot of value. Trading a 24-year-old SUPERSTAR like Nacua would typically be unheard of and “clickbait” type news, but Nacua’s alleged antics have created a super unusual situation for the organization. Even just hearing the head coach talk openly about the fact that he’s not certain if Nacua is going to be on the Rams “for a really long time”, that alone says everything about what the franchise wants to see from Puka Nacua in the news moving forward:
A lot of the same on the field, but a total change off of it.
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