The Los Angeles Rams are preparing to move on from Cooper Kupp after eight seasons, informing the veteran wide receiver that they plan to trade him this offseason. Kupp made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t agree with the decision and hoped to finish his career with the Rams, but the situation is out of his control and his time in L.A. is coming to an end.
If the Rams had shopped Kupp on the market three years ago, they most likely would’ve gotten at least a first-round pick for the triple-crown receiver. Now? His value isn’t going to come close to that.
So what can they realistically expect to get in return for Kupp? It’s hard to say, but it’s probably not going to be much.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, when the Rams were getting calls about Kupp back in October, they were telling teams that it’d take at least what the Raiders got for Davante Adams, which was a conditional third-round pick that could become a second-rounder.
Unsurprisingly, no team met their asking price. However, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network told Rich Eisen this week that the Rams did have “serious offers” and “good value on the table” at the time.
Fast forward to now and Los Angeles could struggle to find a trade partner for Kupp, largely because of his contract. Kupp is due a $7.5 million roster bonus on the third day of the new league year in March, which the Rams will be on the hook for if he’s still on the roster.
Other teams in the market for Kupp would love for Los Angeles to pay that, so they could just wait it out until next month in order to save some money. Or, they can negotiate with the Rams and get Los Angeles to pay the bonus anyway in order to facilitate a deal.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported this week that the Rams could be at least willing to take on some of Kupp’s contract to make it easier to find a suitor for the receiver. That type of move could help the Rams land a more valuable pick in a trade, too. Essentially, they’d be paying for a better pick, which happens sometimes in these deals.
When it’s all said and done, the Rams probably won’t get more than a late-round pick. Heck, when the Rams traded Jalen Ramsey in 2023 for a tight end and a third-round pick, everyone was shocked at how little value they got in return. And that was for a premier cornerback who was only 28 years old.
Kupp will be 32 in June and is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro, and he’s also had trouble staying healthy in the last three years. Not to mention, the Rams are working with Kupp to find a good situation for him, just as they did with Ramsey two years ago.
For a team that’s gotten nothing more than a sixth-round pick for the likes of Allen Robinson, Cam Akers, Van Jefferson and Ernest Jones, no one should expect them to get much in return for Kupp.
