When the Rams drafted Cooper Kupp back in 2017, they clearly believed in his ability. The former FCS standout was a proven producer for the Eastern Washington Swoops and looked like a natural fit for the NFL.
Six years later, Kupp surpassed those initial expectations and much more. Thanks to a 145-catch, 1,947-yard, 16-touchdown 2021 season, Kupp made his first Pro Bowl and notched his first First-Team All-Pro selection. If that wasn’t enough, he became only the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to win the receiving triple crown (catches, yards, touchdowns).
Oh but there’s more. Eventually — thanks in large part to a game-winning touchdown — Kupp was named Super Bowl 56 MVP.
You’d think the good times would stop rolling in for one of pro football’s best slow-burn stories in recent memory. They did not.
On Wednesday night, the Rams gave Kupp a three-year, $75 million extension. On an annual average basis — with his still-current two-year contract in account — Kupp is now the sixth-highest paid receiver ($22 million per) in the NFL, according to Over The Cap.
The 3-year extension worth about $75M makes Kupp one of the highest paid WRs in the NFL… as he should be. https://t.co/n1mXwjswts
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 8, 2022
From a leaguewide perspective, Kupp is the eighth receiver to sign a deal for at least $20 million a year. Don’t worry, I’m also in disbelief.
Cooper Kupp is now the eighth wide receiver this offseason to sign a multi-year deal for $20M+ per year
SHEESH
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) June 8, 2022
Back to Kupp. The only warranted to reaction to his new deal is that I’d say the Rams actually underpaid him. I know, it’s $75 million — the fortune of a lifetime and enough money to buy a small island and become a supervillain. I get it. I do. But I’d still probably pay him more! Not only is Kupp a player capable of superstar production, L.A. uses the 28-year-old like they expect the wideout to make a play on, well, every. Single. Play. That is exceedingly rare, even in a passing-dominated league.
Since 2019, the Rams have targeted Kupp 449 times. With Matthew Stafford coming into the fold while building chemistry with his new favorite receiver, Kupp’s 191-target campaign in 2021 was the ninth-highest in NFL history.
Let’s pause for a second because I really want to hammer this usage point home specifically.
The Rams almost threw the ball 200 times to one player — successfully, I might add — when they also had Odell Beckham Jr., Robert Woods (for half a season, anyway), and Van Jefferson. If there were such a thing as a “workhorse receiver,” the way there used to be workhorse runningbacks, then Kupp would be the poster boy. You know, his picture would be accompany the dictionary definition, they’d teach classes about his work ethic and technique, etc. etc.
That’s not all. Even with his extreme lion’s share of the targets, Kupp didn’t dip in productivity. You could even argue he’s the most efficient offensive player in football. According to Pro Football Focus, Kupp led the league in yards per route run (3.12) — which calculates how many yards a player generates on each and every one of their routes. Essentially, the Rams funnelled their entire passing offense through Kupp and he didn’t miss a beat while outpacing all of his peers.
Kupp is the sixth-highest paid player at his position and is in line to continue being the most productive. What does that say? The Rams got a massive bargain for an offensive weapon that never lets up on hopeless opposing defenses. After bringing back Aaron Donald for most of his twilight 30s, that’s as clear of a win as it gets. Heck, if I were their COO, I’d celebrate with Twitter memes featuring movies from the 90s, too.
Kupp will be catching passes in Los Angeles until he’s at least 33. A sizeable bulk of that play will also likely be with Stafford, who undoubtedly helped elevate Kupp. I’m thinking out loud here, but have we ever seen a receiver catch 700-plus passes and win a Super Bowl or two over half a decade? No? Not even Jerry Rice? Huh. (Jingle plays) The more you know.
We might see someone in Rams blue and gold do it very soon enough.
