Longtime Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp announced Monday evening that his tenure with the team is over and he has been informed that he will be traded, a decision he disagrees with.
Kupp, who has spent eight seasons with the Rams, revealed the team’s decision in a social media post.
“I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships,” Kupp began. “I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA.
“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.”
Kupp had a season for the ages in 2021 when he won the NFL receiving triple crown with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection.
He continued his stellar campaign with 33 catches for 478 yards and six touchdowns in four postseason games. He was named MVP of the Super Bowl LVI for catching eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including the winning 1-yard score with 1:25 left in the Rams’ 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
But Kupp has been plagued by injuries over the past three seasons and has only topped 800 yards once during the span. This season, he injured an ankle in Week 2 and was limited to 12 games, producing 67 receptions for 710 yards and six touchdowns.
Kupp, who turns 32 in June, is eager to recapture his form.
“2024 began with one of the best training camps of my career,” Kupp wrote. “Preparations start now for 2025. Highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come.”
Kupp is due to make $20 million in 2025 in salary and bonuses with a cap hit of $29.78 million so the Rams may find it a difficult to find a trade partner.
One interested party could be Minnesota, as Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was the Rams’ offensive coordinator when Kupp had his mammoth campaign.
Kupp was a college star at FCS program Eastern Washington before the Rams drafted him in the third round of the 2017 draft. He has 634 catches for 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns in 104 regular-season games (89 starts).
–Field Level Media
