Rams signing Davante Adams reveals harsh reality about Cooper Kupp

Sunday afternoon, the trend of breaking news continued before the official start of free agency, a.k.a. the legal tampering period. The L.A. Rams made a big move at wide receiver, but it did not involve Cooper Kupp -- directly.

The Rams went out and signed wide receiver Davante Adams to a 2-year, $46 million contract.

Adams was a free agent, already, due to the fact that the Jets released him less than a week ago.

Now, Adams joins a wide receiver core that includes the young, rising star, Puka Nacua along with Kupp. However, L.A. won't be keeping Kupp very long.

Davante Adams signing with the Rams proves exactly why a Cooper Kupp trade will happen

The Rams have been trying to trade Kupp for about a month now, and many had the idea that it was due to the fact that he was getting older (31). That wasn't exactly the full story.

Sure, Kupp is getting older. But, he hasn't played a full season since 2021 when he became an All Pro and won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award.

Health concerns have to be the primary reason why he's on the trade block, not age. Adams is 32 years old but has only missed three games over the last three years (all in 2024), and we're not even all that sure how severe his injury was last season. Adams sat out a handful of games, in all likelihood, because the Raiders were trying to figure out his future.

Adams has been mostly healthy for several years in a row, now, and that's a big reason why he's well-worth paying instead of Kupp.

Kupp is beloved. The fans adore him. He's impossible not to like. But, the harsh reality is, injuries have become a problem and the Rams can't afford to bank on his health. They especially can't take that risk with Matthew Stafford nearing the end of his career and having just finalized a new deal to keep him around just a little bit longer.

Adams has posted over 1,000 receiving yards in five of the last six seasons regardless of which team he's played for. He's as consistent as it gets, and now with a player like Nacua taking up so much attention, he'll be able to flourish even more so.

Yes, that's more than a hint that Nacua is a better player than Garrett Wilson -- and oh, by the way, Stafford is a better quarterback than Aaron Rodgers at this stage.