While the NFL offseason is full of surprises, few expected the Los Angeles Rams to put star receiver Cooper Kupp for trade. The wide receiver put together one of the greatest seasons by a wide receiver in NFL history in 2021, winning the triple crown and Super Bowl MVP. Three years later, the franchise that drafted him is ready to move on.
Kupp’s time in Los Angeles appears to be over, and New England Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne has doubled down in his efforts to lure his former college teammate to the East Coast.
Kendrick Bourne Wants Cooper Kupp on the New England Patriots
Following days of speculation over his trade, Kupp confirmed the news in an emotional social media post. While he made it clear that he never wanted to leave the Rams, the receiver acknowledged the reality of the situation.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Kupp, who signed a three-year contract extension worth $80.1 million with the Rams, instantly received a recruitment pitch from his former Eastern Washington teammate.
“NE here we come lol,” Bourne commented under Kupp’s Instagram post.
#Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne commented under #Rams WR Cooper Kupp’s trade announcement:
“NE here we come lol”
This is Kendrick’s fourth plea of the offseason for New England to trade for Cooper.
(IG: @CooperKupp, @BournePoly11) pic.twitter.com/o2dGAtXjIl
— New England Sports Fellow (@NESportsFellow) February 4, 2025
Bourne also requested that Kupp get traded to the Patriots for his age-32 season on his Instagram story.
“Please come to the PATS! @cooperkupp,” he wrote.
The Patriots veteran has been enticing Kupp to become his teammate in New England since January when the Super Bowl MVP said his future in Los Angeles was out of his control. Bourne was quick to make a pitch to Kupp and told him he would be taken great care of in New England.
“Come to NE @CooperKupp we’ll take care of u lol all the targets!” he wrote.
Come to NE @CooperKupp we’ll take care of u lol all the targets! https://t.co/9qTduw3Yr4
— Kendrick Bourne Poly (@BournePoly11) January 21, 2025
Bourne has credited Kupp for helping him make it to the league, and it is one of the reasons he is working hard to get him to New England.
“He talked to me and he told me like, ‘Bro you a better player than me, I just work harder than you’ and that’s a big statement from somebody that’s the best in the league — he cold though…
“This is somebody that’s talking to me before he’s even who he is… but he told me that… and it really hit me hard… he’s talked about all over ESPN and we’re at a small school… that was that moment [I bought in],” Bourne said on The Money Down Podcast last year
New England trading for Kupp feels like a move they would be inclined to make, especially after ranking 26th by PFN’s Offense+ metric in 2024. Kupp would give the Patriots a reliable veteran presence to help mentor the young guys. Kupp could also serve as a security blanket for Drake Maye, although the team’s proximity to the top of the NFL Draft — rather than the playoffs — could push Kupp elsewhere.
