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.
Puka Nacua and the Los Angeles Rams are headed for some potentially drawn-out contract extension talks at some point in the relatively near future, and the standout wide receiver has received some strong, if not polarizing, advice.
Nacua has been highly visible this offseason. However, he has avoided the kind of controversy that followed him during the season.
Still, this situation looms large, and Nacua could intensify the spotlight on the Rams if he wants.
Rams’ Puka Nacua Urged to Take Direct Action
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
GettyPuka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before the NFC Wild Card Playoffs against the Carolina Panthers.
Nacua is entering the final season of a four-year, $4.1 million contract with the Rams. He has thoroughly outplayed the deal, leaving the Rams facing a potential no-brainer decision. It could be a matter of when, rather than if, they will extend him.
Nacua is expected to cash in whenever that happens, but he could help himself.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggested Nacua “shouldn’t set foot” on the Rams’ practice field without a new deal in place. Florio cited an ever-ascending market.
“Ultimately, the market is the market. And the market keeps going up. Because the salary cap keeps going up. That’s the way the business works. The cap has exploded from $182.5 million to $301.2 million in only five years. And Nacua has proven his value,” Florio wrote on March 24.
“It’s time to pay the piper. Or the Puka. Or whatever.”
Florio’s take comes on the heels of reporting from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo that Nacua may have to wait for the Rams to finish other business before they address his situation.
“The Rams have got a lot of young guys that they have to pay, and a lot of other business to conduct as well,” Garafolo said on “Good Morning Football” on March 23. “So, the expectation on my end is that the Puka deal is going to take a while and could be further into the summer before we see something happen there.”
The Rams have two key starters on their defense, Byron Young and Kobie Turner, who are in the final year of their contract. Two more, Braden Fiske and Jared Verse, are coming up. Asset allocation will be critical for the Rams moving forward.
Nacua has inarguably been the poster child for that for the Rams as a former fifth-round pick.
Rams Could Use Past Precedent
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
GettyPuka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after defeating the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs.
The Rams drew intrigue over their decision to extend trade acquisition Trent McDuffie following their blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, particularly as it relates to Nacua.
“The Rams may have inadvertently created a new problem with the Trent McDuffie deal. Puka Nacua would be justified in thinking he should be the NFL’s highest paid WR because he’s a better WR than McDuffie is a CB. He’s also produced for the Rams while McDuffie is a newcomer,” Corry posted on X on March 8 in reaction to the news.
Corry added in a follow-up response to a fan’s claim saying Nacua could be the highest-paid non-quarterback that “The Rams will likely raise the point that Cooper Kupp wasn’t made the NFL’s highest paid WR after his triple crown receiving season.”
LA eventually signed Kupp to a three-year, $80.1 million extension.
Nacua will almost certainly double that amount, presumably with the Rams. Recent deals have set $40 million as the new potential starting point.