When news broke that the Los Angeles Rams were looking to trade Cooper Kupp following an up-and-down 2024 season, it turned heads around the NFL world.
How could the Rams even consider trading away Kupp, who was a homegrown star, a former All-Pro, and a Super Bowl champion with the team? Well, apparently, the rest of the NFL wasn't as high on Kupp as the fans at home, as after failing to find a deal they liked, the Rams are planning on releasing the Eastern Washington product when the 2025 NFL calendar year officially opens up, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
“Sources: Rams are planning to release WR Cooper Kupp after the start of the new league year unless a trade materializes,” Schefter reported.
Alright, technically the idea of the Rams releasing Kupp wasn't completely out of the blue, as his contract made him tough to move for anything of real value. Other teams were reportedly looking for LA to take on some of Kupp's money to justify a deal, while others hoped that he would be released outright, as they could get him on a cheaper deal without surrendering a Day 3 pick for his services.
Related NewsArticle continues below
And yet, the idea of Kupp not only leaving Los Angeles but saying goodbye to the Rams so the team can save money, as opposed to in an asset acquisition move, is a tough pill to swallow for fans who watched him go from an FCS product with an uncertain NFL ceiling to a certified face of the franchise.
On paper, the Rams had to say goodbye to a few good players this offseason in order to keep building their roster the “right way,” with Bobby Brown III and Kupp leaving town while Poona Ford and Davante Adams effectively took their places on the roster, but that doesn't make the move any easier.
While Adams and Puka Nacua are a better fit together than Kupp and the BYU product, as they both like to operate in the slot, saying goodbye to the 2017 third-round pick does close a chapter on the 2021 Super Bowl team, which is rapidly running out of members who are still under contract just four years later.