Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp has been with the team since they drafted him back in 2017. Joining the team the same year as Sean McVay became head coach, Kupp watched the Rams go from irrelevant to contender to Super Bowl champions. In 2021, Kupp put together the single greatest season by a wide receiver in NFL history, winning the triple crown and Super Bowl MVP. Now, it appears his time in L.A. is coming to an end.
Whenever a star wide receiver hits the market, the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to pop up as a potential suitor. Pittsburgh reportedly expressed interest in Davante Adams, Brandon Aiyuk, and Christian Kirk, among others, but they weren’t able to pull off a blockbuster trade for any of these receivers. While the Steelers acquired Mike Williams in a deal with the New York Jets before the trade deadline, he’s 30 years old and on an expiring contract. Also, Williams hasn’t produced much since arriving in Pittsburgh; in nine games, he had just nine catches for 132 yards and one touchdown. The Steelers will likely be in the market for a wide receiver this offseason, and pairing Kupp with 23-year-old George Pickens makes a ton of sense.
Pickens as the field stretcher and contested-catch specialist; Kupp as the chain-mover and go-to guy on third downs and clutch situations.
After moving on from veterans Keenan Allen and Williams, the Los Angeles Chargers turned to young talent at the wide receiver position. Los Angeles’ top four wideouts are all aged 25 or younger: Ladd McConkey (23), Quentin Johnston (23), Joshua Palmer (25), and Derius Davis (24). The Chargers have to be pleased with what they’ve seen from McConkey (the No. 34 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft) and Johnston (a sophomore who has looked significantly better than he did in Year 1). Both exceeded expectations last season. Still, there’s room for another pass catcher on Los Angeles’ roster, especially with Palmer hitting free agency this offseason. Justin Herbert is an uber-talented quarterback who has shown he can produce when given the weapons and opportunity. After winning 11 games in Jim Harbaugh’s first season, perhaps the Chargers would be open to adding Kupp in hopes of speeding up their timeline.
Kupp is probably best used in the slot at this point in his career, which is where McConkey lined up 64% of the time in 2024. However, he can still operate on the outside half the time and doesn’t need to be an every-down player. The fit definitely works.
The Houston Texans entered the 2024 season with Nico Collins as the clear alpha WR1 and ascending sophomore talent Tank Dell as a strong WR2. Yet, they deemed that not enough, trading for former Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs to create one of the strongest WR trios in the league. Houston probably thought their WR situation was solid. Unfortunately, the football gods had other plans. Diggs tore his ACL midseason, and Dell destroyed everything in his knee. The former is over 30, was already declining, and is unlikely to be ready for Week 1. The latter is virtually certain to miss the entire 2025 season, if he ever plays again. Suddenly, the Texans need someone to help Collins. There’s no reason Kupp couldn’t do what Diggs did. Collins is one of the league’s premier field stretchers, in addition to being a complete receiver who wins at every level. Diggs was there to be the underneath guy, as evidenced by his 8.7 aDOT.
The Texans don’t need a superstar next to Collins — they just need someone they can trust. Kupp makes all the sense in the world, especially if Diggs doesn’t return.
The New England Patriots don’t have a clear WR1. They don’t even have a clear WR2. Every wide receiver on the Patriots could emerge as their top option or end up cut by midseason. It’s a completely wide-open depth chart. New England trading for Kupp feels like a move they would make. Kupp would give the Patriots a reliable veteran presence to help mentor the young guys.
He could also serve as a safety blanket for Drake Maye. At the same time, Kupp wouldn’t exactly move the needle in terms of turning New England into a playoff contender. It really does fit their style in terms of it being a move that a contender should make despite them not actually appearing like one.
It’s no secret that quarterback Josh Allen’s weapons were below average at best this season. It was a blessing and a curse for Allen, as it could be the biggest factor in winning the MVP award while also being a strong reason for their loss in the AFC Championship to the Kansas City Chiefs. This is more a case of the Bills needing wide receivers than this actually being a good fit. The Bills got rid of Diggs for a reason. They don’t need another Diggs. The Bills tried trading for Amari Cooper. That didn’t work out at all, with Cooper showing a sudden inability to get on the field or earn targets despite competing with Mack Hollins and Keon Coleman. Khalil Shakir is better suited as a team’s WR2, but he’s better than Kupp at this point in their respective careers. Plus, their skill sets overlap.
Nevertheless, the Bills need help — and badly. The WR free agent market isn’t exactly brimming with talent. If they can’t land Tee Higgins, Kupp might be a reasonable consolation prize just to get a second reliable guy in the offense.
