Extending Puka Nacua feels more in question than ever for the Rams

The possibility of declining Puka Nacua an extension feels more realistic than ever for the Los Angeles Rams. 

Is that reactionary, the result of a 2-4 start, roster-wide injuries, and Nacua's own availability issues? Well, sure. But if this season goes south, the Rams would be naive to stick their heads in the sand and ignore Nacua's track record of poor off-field decisions and, now, his accumulating injury history. 

It's not just the injuries; that's the appetizer. It's not just his off-field problems, though those became glaring this offseason. It's not just the size of the contract, likely to be $40-45 million per year. 

It's all of it. And if LA's aging roster is headed for a rebuild, with so many other pending free agents to pay or not, shelling out for Nacua feels increasingly like a wait-and-see proposition.

Puka Nacua's injury-riddled season isn't helping his case

Nacua was questionable for Week 1 after sustaining a groin injury late in training camp. That wasn't the whole story, though. NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the NFL discussed suspending Nacua for his offseason extracurriculars.

Although he wasn't suspended, Nacua missed Weeks 2 and 3 anyway with an unrelated injury to the same general area. Now he has a calf injury and is questionable for Sunday's game in Las Vegas. 

Let's be clear. The injuries aren't Nacua's fault. The calf injury is believed to be minor. Being injury-prone is a product of his playstyle; the nagging issues are unlikely to fade away. There's a good chance they'll become more problematic. He was banged up last year despite missing just the one game. He missed six in his sophomore season.

Has he ever been fully healthy this season? It was difficult to tell at times in Week 5 against the Bills whether Nacua was hunched over out of breath or in physical discomfort. 

That's just part of the game, but for a receiver still on his rookie contract, who could reset the market or at the very least match the four-year, $168.6 million deal of Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba, it's becoming a real concern.

Remember Cooper Kupp, the 2021 Super Bowl MVP? After earning a three-year extension, he couldn't stay healthy for a full season. Nacua's extension wouldn't be $80 million like Kupp's. It would likely be four years for more than double. 

Rams and Nacua may not have a happily-ever-after in the cards

The Rams can always apply the franchise tag, but would Nacua play in that scenario, or drag a holdout into the season, potentially forcing a trade? Franchise tags tend to ferment bitter feelings. 

If it were just the injuries, okay. If it was just the off-field stuff, okay. Even though, according to Colin Cowherd, this offseason was far from Nacua's first time around that block. Cowherd claims the Rams have covered for Nacua for years.

If this team looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. If the Rams weren't missing half the roster due to injury. If they didn't have over a dozen key pending free agents and multiple stars on the wrong side of 30. If they had some draft picks in the war chest, then handing Nacua a lucrative contract would be a no-brainer. 

That's not the reality we're living in. There's a world where the Rams keep losing and get an offer they can't refuse at the trade deadline. Is this the year before they blow it all up? That's a worst-case scenario, but it exists. 

The more likely, and perhaps less reckless outcome, is to wait out the season and see what happens. It still feels almost unthinkable, but there's a very real chance that, when the dust settles, there is no happy ending in store.

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