Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
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Puka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during a game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Los Angeles Rams face the prospects of extending wide receiver Puka Nacua this offseason, but they have to square that with a harsh reality about their star playmaker.
Nacua was recently back drawing attention to himself, and he was not alone. It just adds another layer to the looming decision the Rams are facing, which could result in Nacua setting a franchise record.
That is, if he can stay on the field, which he is working to do.
Puka Nacua Draws Attention With Rams Icon Cooper Kupp
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
GettyPuka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams before the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Nacua is heading into his fourth NFL season, and he is coming off a regular season in which he led the league in receptions despite missing a game. His latest efforts could help avoid further injury, but they mostly drew attention because of his company: ex-Rams wideout Cooper Kupp.
Kupp was with the Rams from 2017 through 2024, when they cut him after failing to find a trade partner during the 2025 offseason.
Kupp shared a video of himself and Nacua working out together, captioning it, “back to work.”
RamsNation
Puka back in the lab with Coop 😭
The pairing caused a stir, not just because they reunited, but also because it could suggest Kupp, who won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks this past season, will play in 2026.
Cooper Kupp & Puka Nacua Praise Each Other
Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
GettyFormer Los Angeles Rams teammates Puka Nacua #17 and Cooper Kupp #10 look on against the Buffalo Bills.
Nacua and Kupp have remained friends, with the Rams star wishing his former teammate well ahead of his second Super Bowl.
He also seemingly alluded to their workout session.
“I hope you have the opportunity to hoist that trophy up,” Nacua said on the “Real Ones: The League” podcast on February 6. “You have about a couple days to have that parade, the ceremony, and I’ll see you back in LA, and we’re getting right back to it. So, hurry up.”
Kupp also praised Nacua before the big game when asked to compare the Rams wideout to current teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“They’re such good football players in their own right. I came alongside them to be an open book. If there’s an idea they had or something they wanted to ask me, I want to be right there alongside of them. But more than anything else, I want to be a good teammate,” Kupp told reporters on February 3.
“It’s been really fun. I’ve learned a lot from those guys as well.”
Rams Face Daunting Reality About Puka Nacua
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
GettyPuka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before a game against the Detroit Lions.
Nacua has been one of the most dominant receivers in the game since entering the league in 2023, but he comes with some red flags. Those stand out as he becomes extension-eligible this offseason.
“His reckless style of play will make him an annual risk for injury – but it’s also a major reason why he’s largely considered one of the best WRs in all of football across the past 3 seasons,” Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote on February 24. “The 5th-rounder is now on an expiring contract in LA, holding a $38.5M valuation in our system, but a 4 year, $164M extension certainly seems plausible here.”
That would be a record amount for a Rams wide receiver.
It would even surpass the franchise-best four-year, $160 million extension that Matthew Stafford received in 2022.
The Rams have stood by Nacua through some off-field turbulence, and he has been productive as anyone when on the field. However, keeping Nacua on the field and deciding how much of that is within their control is what the Rams have to reconcile with so much on the line.