Cooper Kupp trade shocker may pave way for Rams to make another blockbuster

Two separate news items rocked the NFL this week. And both bits of news, though separate, may eventually find common ground with the LA Rams. The first bit of NFL headline news was the report that involved Cleveland Browns All-Pro veteran edge rusher Myles Garrett. After years of oscillating between NFL Playoff contender and rebuilding, he has had enough. He is now rumored to have requested a trade.

Hold that thought. We'll come back to it.

Later in the day, LA Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp shared that the team had informed him that it would be seeking to 'trade (him) immediately.' The news changes the entire landscape of the LA Rams offseason, so we gave an immediate fallout assessment of the trade rumors now. But that is the rub. Announcing that a player is available for a trade is not even in the same ballpark as announcing that the Rams have entered serious trade negotiations with another team.

The motive appears to be financially driven. But if you ponder the history of Rams GM Les Snead, this feels very similar to the scenario set up in the weeks leading up to the Rams trading with the Jacksonville Jaguars for All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey. If you may recall, the team traded DB Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens for next to nothing. It was a move intended to clear cap space. The team cleared additional cap space by packaging a Round 5 draft pick and injured DB Aqib Talib to the Miami Dolphins for a future draft pick.

Once the finances were stabilized, the team traded for Ramsey.

Is a similar scenario taking place now?

I admit that I struck out on my initial take of the Cooper Kupp rumors. Plenty of speculative thoughts assume the guise as NFL rumors this time of year. But in my defense, my skepticism about the team moving on from Cooper Kupp formed long before anyone was aware of Browns All-Pro Myles Garrett demanding to be traded.

That new variable changes everything.

Just like 2019, the team must first clear salary cap space to make everything fit under the 2025 NFL salary cap limits. The best way to do that, then and now, is to trade players to pry huge reservoirs of available cap space, while attempting to get something of value in return. If the team is unable to trade Kupp, he will likely be released, and be open to negotiate a new contract with a team of his choosing.

If the team parts ways with Kupp, they have the space to give serious consideration to trade for Garrett. What will it take to pry Garrett from the Browns? With the Rams as the trade partner in this scenario, probably more than I care to admit. But if the Rams were to pursue Garrett in some future trade, then publicly announcing Cooper Kupp on the trade block is the logical first step.

The gears are moving quickly right now. Where will this offseason end up? Stay tuned. And as always, thanks for reading.

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