The sweet and sour taste to Rams over 49ers trade of Deebo Samuel will linger

When it comes to trading away players, the Rams seem to be a bit hampered. Is it because the team wants to ensure that the player to be traded approves of his destination? Is it due to the fact that the Rams are a bit late to the party in terms of trading star players before they show a drop in onfield production? Or is it simply due to the fact that there Rams are so hush-hush about the whisperings of trade negotiations that momentum and buzz never builds around their players?

In any case., the Rams had WR Cooper Kupp on the trade block weeks ago. But so far, it appears as though few if any teams appear to be knocking down the door for Kupp. Perhaps it's the belief that the Rams will cut Kupp, rather than pay him his $7.5 million roster bonus due on March 17, 2025. If that happens, teams can negotiate their own contracts with Kupp, and they expect it will involve far less than his current $12.5 million.

Many NFL fans have expressed on social media that Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is not worth the $12.5 million salary due in 2025. Curious comments on social media, those. You see, the Washington Commanders are trading with the San Francisco 49ers, and have agreed to pay veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel everything that he is due in 2025. That means the entire $21.7 million that he could earn in 2025.

We recently compared Cooper Kupp to Deebo Samuel and provided readers a breakdown of Deebo Samuel's contract terms. While the buzz has been all about Deebo so far, the statistical breakdown of Kupp to Samuel seemed to give Kupp the advantage. The only true advantage held by Deebo Samuel over Cooper Kupp is his age, approximately 2.5 years younger to be precise.

Is age that important? Apparently it is.

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So what's so sour about this latest development?

As soon as NFL rumors acknowledged the Los Angeles Rams had put Cooper Kupp up for trade, they eliminated any chance of reconsidering Kupp to return for 2025. So now, it's only a matter of what, if anything, the team is willing to accept. With the 49ers trade of WR Deebo Samuel setting the market for any NFL wide receiver being traded in 2025, the Rams are unlikely to get anything higher than a Round 6 pick, at best.

More likely, the Rams are now looking at a swap pick that either accelerates the timing of a pick one year sooner, or upgrades its timing in the overall selection sequence. You see, the Commanders are shipping a Round 5 pick to the 49ers for Deebo Samuel.

The other setback is that with the satisfaction for a veteran wide receiver for the Commanders roster, the Rams have lost one more potential trade partner for Kupp's services. And with time running out before the Rams must make the hard decision to either release Cooper Kupp or pay him his $7.5 million roster bonus, that almost certainly means that the Rams will likely cut Kupp if they hope to save a significant hit to the team's salary cap.

So what is so sweet about this development?

If you know and have lived through the bitter rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams under HC Sean McVay, you know that you could count on the chirping of trash-talking Deebo Samuel at least twice a year. Whether injured or not, Samuel always seemed to find the strength to suit up and perform very well against the Rams. And then, in post-game interviews, troll and trash talk the Rams.

And 49ers fans jumped on that band wagon, sounding very much like Samuel on social media and comments sections of Rams websites and forums.

It was his persona that prompted Rams fans to celebrate the huge hit delivered on Deebo by then safety Nick Scott in the NFC Championship Game. After that hit, Deebo Samuel was a non-factor in the 49ers offense, and the Rams won the game.

Rams fans do not love Deebo Samuel. But after multiple games of his heroics in crunch time to lead his team to victory, fans have come to respect him. Now, the same guy who seemed to have a knack for beating the Rams can take his trash-talking to the NFC East Division and troll Dallas Cowboys fans. And after the deal is official with the start of the new NFL season, there are no returns.

The Rams are not completely out of the woods from facing Deebo Samuel. Right now, the Rams are likely to face the Washington Commanders in 2026. If they extend Samuel, the Rams will play against him then. But Deebo Samuel may not last more than one season with the Washington Commanders. So the Rams may have seen the last of that trash-talker for years to come.

As always, thanks for reading.

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