Puka Nacua is the Los Angeles Rams’ best and most valuable player but his offseason antics could be a problem in the future.
Nacua is in the last year of his rookie contract and is eligible for a max contract extension. However, his offseason controversies have made his future with the Rams questionable. Recently, potential trades have been circulating following the latest news.
Can the Rams Trust Puka Nacua as Their Number One Wide Receiver?
Puka In the Headlines
Nacua is being sued by a woman who alleges he made antisemitic remarks and bit her on the shoulder. Although Nacua has denied the allegations the overall incident raises questions about his focus. This isn’t the first off-the-field incident that involves Nacua.
He was also involved in a separate incident in which he was accused of making an antisemitic gesture during a livestream. He later apologized but the incident occurred during the season which created distracting headlines. The incident occurred before the week 16 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks with the NFC’s No. 1 seed at stake.
“Don’t think he understood the totality of some of the things,” head coach Sean McVay said. “I think he issued that apology. I know this guy’s heart, and for anybody that was offended, terribly sorry about that… We always want to make sure that we handle ourselves with class, learn from it, put my arm around him, and continue to educate our guys.”
During the season, he also drew negative headlines after livestreaming inside the Rams’ locker room against team rules and trying to livestream with Twitch streamers in the facility.
“No, it wasn’t a distraction at all,” McVay said about the incident.
Nacua’s issues have been a constant distraction. Even though he is nearly irreplaceable, his recent incidents have only brought negative attention to the Rams’ quest for a Super Bowl. The incident clearly overshadowed Nacua’s performance, as McVay left the post-game press conference early when reporters started to ask more questions about Nacua.
Could He be Traded?
The talented receiver was magnificent this year and placed himself in the top 5 of receivers after a league-leading 129 receptions and 1715 receiving yards. After Jaxon Smith-Njiba’s record-breaking contract, Nacua is due for an even larger contract. Smith-Njiba signed a four-year, $168.6 million contract with $120 million guaranteed thus ensuring Nacua to sign something in the same range.
Nacua’s deal could reportedly take a while but the recent incidents have started to raise questions about whether the Rams will draft a receiver and move off Nacua. There have been a few puzzling trades involving superstar players in their primes. Herschel Walker was traded to the Vikings for a haul of picks which led to the Cowboys dynasty, Khalil Mack was traded from the Raiders to the Bears for two first-round picks, and the Rams’ own Matthew Stafford was traded from the Lions.
If the Rams were to trade Nacua, they would likely get a few first-round picks along with other later-round picks. It’s unlikely the Rams will trade Nacua, especially since he has great chemistry with Stafford who is nearing the end of his career as he decided to play for at least one more year. The only question about Nacua’s future with the Rams is whether the franchise would deem it necessary to step away from their superstar receiver.
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