Rams HC Sean McVay to no chance Cooper Kupp returns: 'Never speak in absolutes'

The Los Angeles Rams broke the hearts of many loyal Rams fans when Cooper Kupp shared the tale of the team informing him that he would be traded 'immediately,' on social media. That reported NFL Rumors story broke wide open over a month ago, and that ignited a firestorm of subsequent rumors, hints, whispers, and innuendos. But was it all talk? Since that story broke, the San Francisco 49ers had no lack of interest in trading away veteran WR Deebo Samuel.

And they traded Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a Round 5 draft pick. Kupp has drawn only speculative interest from the Dallas Cowboys, who seem to be taken aback by the cost of trading for Kupp. That's a bit curious, because despite injuries, Kupp has managed to sustain respectable receiving yards.

To refresh everyone's recollection, Kupp appeared in 24 regular season games in the past two seasons. Over that span, he caught 126 of 195 passes for 1447 yards, 61 first downs, and 11 touchdowns. He averaged over 60 receiving yards per game and nearly 11.5 yards per reception. Best of all, he averaged nearly a 65 catch rate. That may not be All-Pro level, but it's certainly nothing to sneeze at. So why are the Rams acting so swiftly to put distance between Cooper Kupp and the team?

The Rams did not approach Kupp about asking him to restructure his contract to right-size compensation to his current level of production. And that his a bit confusing:

While his current contract makes no sense, would the Rams have room on the offense for a cheaper Kupp? From what Coach McVay said, that is certainly a possibility. And with the team reaching an affordable agreement with QB Matthew Stafford, perhaps there is still room in the budget to rework Kupp's contract and keep him around in 2025?

That is up to you decide. For more clarification, Jourdan Rodrigue from The Athletic has added some additional information:

It appears that the the critical aspect of moving on from Kupp is not the money, or the return on investment from Cooper Kupp., The Rams offense has become a bit stagnant, and with the emergence of WR Puka Nacua and perhaps Jordan Whittington, the offense may simply need to explore new avenues of scoring points.

The Rams quickly pivoted from FA Coleman Shelton to Jonah Jackson in 2024. Does the team have a new wide receiver in mind to fill Kupp's roster spot? The upcoming 2025 NFL Free Agency is still a week away, and many changes can take place in the next week.

Still, while hope remains that Kupp may remain with the team, even the words from Coach McVay suggest that the team is focused on taking the offense, and the team, in a new direction. What will that look like? Coach McVay leaves the door open to free agency, the draft, and even a trade. That level of detail suggests that the team has a well-formed strategy of restocking the roster for 2025.

Now it's just a matter of letting events play out. As always, thanks for reading.

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