NFL free agency: Rams plan to release Cooper Kupp, per report

Barring a trade materializing, the Los Angeles Rams are planning to trade receiver Cooper Kupp when the new league year begins this Wednesday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The writing was on the wall for Kupp after the Rams told him last month they would be planning to trade him immediately. Then came Sunday night, when the Rams and Davante Adams agreed to a two-year contract worth $46 million with $26 million guaranteed — another signal his time was up in Los Angeles.

Kupp, 31, has been one of the more productive receivers since entering the league in 2017 as a third-round pick out of Eastern Washington. He reached his peak in 2021, winning the receiving triple crown with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Kupp was named Super Bowl LVI MVP.

But that is one of only two seasons in which Kupp has been fully healthy. Injuries have slowed him down, limiting him to just 12 games in each of the past two seasons. If this is it for his Rams career, he wraps it up with 634 receptions, 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns.

Rams moving on from Cooper Kupp after 8 seasons

Kupp didn’t want to leave Los Angeles. The Rams, however, had to consider the finances. After the 2021 season, Kupp signed a three-year contract extension worth $80.1 million. He is scheduled to have a cap hit of $29.8 million next season and $27.3 million in 2026. Should the Rams trade Kupp in a deal designated post-June 1, they will save $20 million toward their 2025 salary cap.

“If the Rams cut Kupp this offseason, they will save $15 million in cash and $7.52 million against the salary cap,” ESPN‘s Sarah Barshop explained. “If the Rams release him without a post-June 1 designation, they will absorb $22.2 million in dead money due to the remaining prorated portions of his signing bonus and $5 million of his roster bonus.”

“Healthy as ever,” Kupp is ready to show he still has some quality ball left in the tank. He’ll have the chance to show that in a different uniform.

“I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA,” Kupp wrote last month. “Still, if there’s one thing that I have learned over the years: there are so many things that are out of your control, but it is how you respond to these things that you will look back on and remember. I have taken so much pride in playing alongside my teammates for the LA community, so thank you for embracing my family and making this such a special place for us.

“2024 began with one of the best training camps of my career. Preparations start now for 2025. Highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come. Love you guys. But coming for it all.”