What makes Puka Nacua so special is also a bad break for the Rams

Puka Nacua is going to get paid. Obviously. Entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, the Los Angeles Rams receiver is coming off the highest-ever receiver grade, 96.3, in Pro Football Focus' lifespan.

He led the league in receiving yards per game (107.2), total catches (129), and first downs (80). He tied for the lead with 27 receptions of 20 yards or more. Not only is Nacua an unstoppable pass-catcher, he is also a high-level blocker, something few of the game's elite receivers can claim.

It's no surprise, then, that ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes the former fifth-round pick will reset the receiver market with his next contract. That would mean surpassing the four-year, $168.6 million deal for Seattle's Jaxson Smith-Njigba. That's just how it works. The next man up always wins. 

Nacua's contract circumstances are unique. Obviously, the Rams are thrilled - more than thrilled - with how No. 177 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft has turned out. That's a special kind of outcome.

But, as Barnell points out, Nacua's rise from Day 3 prospect to the league's most dominant receiver is distinct from the Seahawks' situation with Smith-Njigba, or the Bengals' with Ja'Marr Chase, the previous highest-paid receiver. 

Rams running short on time to ink Nacua's extension

As former first-rounders, Chase and Smith-Njigba had fifth-year options attached to their rookie deals, giving their teams an extra year at an economic cost before the gargantuan extension bill came due. Of course, the Seahawks and Bengals invested more valuable draft capital to get them than a measly fifth-round pick, and had to pay them higher rookie-scale salaries as stipulated by draft position. There is give and take.

For the Rams, though, an additional 12 months to negotiate Nacua's extension would be a blessing. Alas, he isn't a first-rounder, so no fifth-round option for him. If LA wants to keep him next season without extending, Barnwell elaborates, they will have to slap Nacua with a $31.6 million franchise tag in 2027.

That tops even Smith-Njigba's record-value fifth-year option and, more importantly, would disallow the Rams from tagging other players. Most importantly, once franchise-tagging starts, bad blood often ensues. Alienating Nacua is the last thing this franchise needs to do. 

But it's complicated. Not only will Nacua be up for free agency by season's end, so will defensive lineman Kobie Turner, edge rusher Byron Young, and the entire offensive line aside from left tackle Alaric Jackson Jr., whose availability this season is suddenly in question. Just to name a few. 

And while the Rams' salary cap situation remains somewhat flexible for the moment, handing new All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie a record extension, plus trading for Myles Garrett, has impacted the future payroll. Garrett's deal, in particular, is a massive bargain, but general manager Les Snead only has so much Monopoly money to play with. 

On top of that, Nacua's offseason shenanigans and struggles haven't helped accelerate the process. The Rams may want to see him prove he can stay out of trouble before making him the richest receiver in NFL history.

Spotrac projects Nacua's next deal at four years and $160.7 million. If Barnwell is right, it will be more than that. Flash forward to today from the 2023 draft and the Rams couldn't ask for a better problem to have. The only problem is, they're running out of time to reach a solution. 

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