LA Rams News: Team now focusing upon Cooper Kupp extension

LA Rams News: With Jalen Ramsey deal finished, the team now turn towards extending wide receiver Cooper Kupp

The ink is not even dry on the LA Rams extension of defensive back  Jalen Ramsey‘s extension, and the team is already turning towards locking in WR Cooper Kupp for a new multi-year extension.  While we await the term of the Ramsey deal and all of that fun finance stuff, we can focus upon the urgency for both sides.  In short, what’s the rush?

Well, there is a rush. A smoldering sense of urgency on both sides that is propelling negotiations along the fast track. Even head coach Sean McVay confirmed that the two sides are working on signing a deal this week.

So what is the rush?

Rams urgency

The LA Rams know just how good Cooper Kupp is, and how effective he will be in the Rams passing game. He projects to well over 1000 yards receiving this season, and if the Rams feature him more than the team has in the past, he could very easily put up numbers to rival the best receivers in the NFL.

Kupp led the NFL in receiving yards as a slot receiver in 2019 with 853 yards. While he plays both at outside receiver and in the slot, the Rams will likely be mixing up the formations in 2020 to identify the best combination of receiving talent. That means Kupp can line up with Robert Woods, Josh Reynolds, Van Jefferson, Nsimba Webster, Trishton Jackson, and tight end Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett, Johnny Mundt, and Brycen Hopkins. The Rams want to lock up Kupp before he starts out at a record pace, and drives his price up.

Kupp urgency

Cooper Kupp has his own and different reasons to be motivated to get a deal done pronto. If you just look up, you can easily identify a lot of talented receivers available for the Rams passing game. While teammates for Kupp, they are alternate options for quarterback Jared Goff’s passes.  Kupp is a solid performer who will do exactly what the Rams ask of him.

But there is another reason to lock in a deal from Kupp’s perspective. The sooner the deal gets done, the faster he can stop worrying about his health and financial security.  He suffered from a season-ending injury in 2018. Despite playing extremely well in 2019 for 16 games, another injury will stir whispers of fragility and not-NFL-durable. For Kupp, getting a deal done sooner rather than later avoids that risk of tweaking a leg, joint or other body parts that could foster questions.

Cost of Cooper Kupp extension

What will Kupp’s contract come in at?  He’s likely to come in on a four-year extension worth from $77-82 million. Kupp’s deal, while very lucrative for the young man, should be a bit easier to negotiate as he is very interested to remain with the LA Rams for the foreseeable future.

But on a downside, the Rams will be making a huge bump in his annual cost, which means that it will eat up more of future cap dollars. So there is a bit of navigation associated with this extension as well.  And the performance of Kupp so far does not command the highest price of wide receivers, which means he could prove to be a huge value for the Rams down the road.

The momentum to getting a deal done has never been higher.  Once the Rams and Cooper Kupp extend, the Rams can take a deep breath and focus on who should be next.  While the consensus is Jalen Ramsey, I would not be the least bit surprised if the team works a deal with either Darious Williams or Troy Hill.  In the meantime, the team is locking in their players.