Early morning trade should give Rams fans hope Kupp staying with team

If you are fretting about the latest NFL trade rumors spinning around the LA Rams and veteran WR Cooper Kupp, you are not alone. Even Rams WR Puka Nacua was caught off-guard by the sudden and confirmed narrative regarding the Rams actively shopping their veteran pass catcher. But this is the NFL, after all. Trades happen. But many trade discussions go nowhere. To that point, the latest Rams rumors may be one of those smoke-but-no-fire storylines.

One of the most motivated NFL teams shopping for wide receiver help, the Kansas City Chiefs, appears to have satiated their appetite for help. You see, they had conversations with the Rams but were unable to land Kupp in terms that they considered mutually beneficial. Instead, they moved on to knock on the door of the Tennessee Titans.

And these two teams found a mutually beneficial trade. The Titans have agreed to send veteran WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs for a Round 5 (upgradeable to a Round 4) draft selection:

And so, the Chiefs have added a desperately desired veteran to help the Chiefs in their push for a third consecutive Super Bowl victory. So what does this mean for the LA Rams and Rams fans?

The market for WR Cooper Kupp just shrank

With one team, and a very motivated one at that, out of the market for a wide receiver, the interest and frenzy of driiving up offers for Cooper Kupp just shrank. As a result, the likelihood of the team agreeing to terms on any trade of Kupp for picks has lessened considerably. After all, it's clear that the Chiefs were strongly motivated to make a deal.

There are other teams that could be in the market. But the fact that they have not made a deal just yet suggest that they are less motivated, and are simply looking to emerge with a WR at the right price and on their terms. Since no deal has happened, they appear to be content to go into a playoff push as is.

The asking price for Kupp just dropped

WR DeAndre Hopkins is a venerable veteran wide receiver now playing in his 12th NFL season. With over 12.5 K receiving yards and 79 touchdowns, he is a significant addition to the Chiefs roster. Conversely, Cooper Kupp is competing in his eighth NFL season, has over 7.2 K receiving yards and 52 touchdowns. While not an apples to apples comparison, the fact that the Titans were willing to settle for a conditional Round 4 pick for Hopkins does put downward pressure on the LA Rams asking price of a Round 2 pick.

Using the Hopkins trade as a template, the best the Rams appear to be able to get is a Round 4 pick, conditionally upgradeable to a Round 3 pick if certain parameters of durability and production are met. And I just cannot see the team accepting that, particularly with their 2025 NFL Draft missing the Round 2 pick.

For LA Rams fans, this is all good news if you want the team to retain Cooper Kupp. This trade seems to squelch the likelihood of the Rams trading Kupp this season.

As always, thanks so much for reading.

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