Cooper Kupp is unsure if his impressive eight-year career with the Los Angeles Rams came to an end last weekend in Philadelphia.
Although Kupp is under contract for the next two seasons, the large size of his deal could lead the Rams to part ways with the Super Bowl 56 MVP. Kupp is aware of this possibility.
“Who knows what’s going to happen?” Kupp said Monday as the Rams cleaned out their lockers at the training complex. “A lot of stuff is out of my control. We’ll see what it’s going to be. There’s obviously stuff that was going on early on in the season, and we’ll see.
I don’t have any clarity on what that’s going to look like or anything like that. So yeah, obviously would love to be in LA, but I don’t know what that’s going to look like.”
The “stuff” Kupp referred to includes the trade talks that reminded him that nothing is permanent in the NFL. When the Rams started the season 1-4, they received calls to see if they were willing to trade Kupp, who was injured at the time.
One reason for considering a trade was to move his three-year, $80.1 million contract extension, which he received after his remarkable 2021-22 season, where he won the Triple Crown of receiving and the Super Bowl MVP award during the Rams’ victory over Cincinnati.
Kupp’s contract for 2025 is a big financial burden. He is set to take up nearly $30 million in cap space, but the Rams could save about two-thirds of that by releasing him, as he will be 32 next season.
The Rams could also attempt to restructure Kupp’s deal, but Kupp knows that the front office is not sentimental. General manager Les Snead has already released or traded players like Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, and Robert Woods before their contract extensions even began.
However, Kupp is not retiring anytime soon.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of good football left in me,” Kupp said. “So I definitely will be playing football next year, that much I know.”
Kupp called the just-completed season “frustrating,” mainly because of his injury and his limited production after returning to health. Despite this, he is proud of how the Rams turned things around after their rough start, eventually winning the NFC West title and making it to the postseason. They almost managed to defeat the Eagles and host the NFC championship game this week, but a few fumbles in the cold weather cost them.
The Rams’ close playoff loss in snowy Philadelphia won’t change the positive outlook surrounding the team. After winning 10 of their last 14 games, the Rams are showing faster progress in their rebuild than many expected and look ready to contend next season.
Kupp said Monday that he wasn’t dealing with any injuries that would limit his offseason work, but his numbers weren’t as impressive as usual. He had 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns, but just 12 catches for 162 yards in the last five games of the regular season, marking the least productive stretch of his career.
Kupp seemed to hint that he would have liked a more prominent role in coach Sean McVay’s offense as the season ended.
“Watching film, there’s things that I’m feeling good about, but production-wise it’s not showing up,” Kupp said. “A lot of stuff is outside my control and it is frustrating, but at the same time, we’re finding ways along that stretch to win games, finding ways to come out of games with Ws, and even though it wasn’t pretty a lot of the times offensively, we got it done.
And so there’s frustration there, and I want to be able to feel like I’m impacting games. I can look back on the season and be happy with what I put on tape. Things that I was being asked to do, I feel like I was executing my job.”
After catching just one pass in the Rams’ wild-card round win over Minnesota, Kupp had five receptions for 61 yards against the Eagles.
The Rams’ offseason plans will depend heavily on quarterback Matthew Stafford, who said Sunday night he would “take some time to think about” his future. However, Stafford sounded optimistic about returning, even after fumbling twice in the fourth quarter of a tough loss.
Next season would be Stafford’s 17th year, and although he dealt with a rib injury down the stretch, he took less physical punishment this season, being sacked only 28 times—his fewest since 2013 in Detroit.
Stafford did not speak to reporters on Monday.
The Rams also face some big decisions regarding free agents. Left tackle Alaric Jackson, an unrestricted free agent, is in line for a significant payday after a strong season. Other unrestricted free agents include receiver Tutu Atwell, who may seek a team more willing to use him, veteran tackle Joe Noteboom, linebacker and special teams standout Michael Hoecht, and defensive lineman Bobby Brown.
Veteran receiver Demarcus Robinson, who set career highs with 505 yards and seven touchdowns, expressed interest in returning: “I love the organization, love my coaches. Whatever I have to do to try to be here in the same system, because I think it fits well for me.”
