The Los Angeles Rams are off to a slow 2-4 start. They’ll get some much-needed reinforcement in Week 8 with Cooper Kupp set to return from a high ankle sprain, but could Kupp be playing elsewhere soon enough?
Below we take a look at the latest reports surrounding a potential Kupp move.
Why Would the Rams Trade Cooper Kupp?
Kupp is under contract for the next two seasons but at prohibitive cap hits of $29.8 million in 2025 and $27.3 million in 2026. Los Angeles would only save a minimal amount of money by cutting him after this season, but Kupp likely has more value to them in a trade.
Indeed, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on The Dan LeBatard Show that the Rams are open to the idea of moving their star wideout.
The Rams have called multiple teams about trading former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp sources tell @mikesilver, @jourdanrodrigue, and me.
The Rams have indicated a willingness to take on some of the ‘24 salary and are seeking a 2nd round pick.— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 22, 2024
The Rams play the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night before visiting the Seattle Seahawks in their two games prior to the trade deadline. Los Angeles will be underdogs in both games and could conceivably be drawing dead at 2-6 by the deadline.
As much as the Rams should try to compete in the waning years of Matthew Stafford’s career, the reality is that this is a bit of a bipolar team: full of veteran acquisition and stars on offense, but an extremely young defense that belongs on a rebuilding franchise.
With Los Angeles’ record leaning more towards the latter reality, the Rams may need to face some hard truths and lean into a rebuild at the trade deadline.
Cooper Kupp Contract Breakdown
Kupp has two years remaining on the 3-year, $80.1 million extension he signed back in 2022. This is actually the first year of that extension, since he still had two years remaining on his prior contract.
Kupp will count $29.8 million against the cap next season and $27.3 million against the cap in 2026. The Rams would save $7.5 million cap space if they cut him after this season and $19.9 million if they cut him before the start of the 2026 league year.
An acquiring team would need to have between $10-$12 million in cap space to acquire Kupp for the rest of the season without restructuring any other contracts. This is because his prorated base salary for 2024 decreases with each passing week.
Potential Kupp Trade Destinations
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers missed out on Davante Adams but could rebound as the most obvious trade destination for a wide receiver this deadline.
Kupp’s cap hit will be a little under $12 million for the rest of 2024 if he’s moved today and roughly $10 million if he’s moved at the trade deadline. With roughly $11.9 million in cap space per Spotrac, the Steelers can squeeze Kupp under their cap sheet without making any other moves.
Kupp has run 74% of his routes out of the slot this season, his highest rate in a season since at least 2019 (as far back as TruMedia data goes for alignment stats).
Pittsburgh slot receivers are averaging the fifth-fewest receiving yards per game (58.9), so Kupp would fill a clear role of need.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were dealt far more than a loss in their Week 7 Monday night game vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Chris Godwin will be out for the rest of the season after a gruesome ankle injury, while Mike Evans could miss extended time after hurting his hamstring.
Those two have combined to produce nearly the entire Buccaneers passing offense. Combined, Evans and Godwin have 911 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns this year. The rest of Tampa Bay’s roster combined has 948 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.
Kupp would immediately become Baker Mayfield’s No. 1 target, as the Bucs are staring down some combination of Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard, and Trey Palmer at wide receiver in the interim.
Greg Auman, a local reporter for the Buccaneers, highlighted the connection Kupp has with current Tampa Bay offensive coordinator as one of the reasons a trade could make sense.
“Lots of questions about Bucs and trading for Cooper Kupp. He has a history with Liam Coen, and that helps. Rams are asking a lot, and my guess is that other WR-needy teams might be willing to pay more than Tampa Bay. Licht doesn’t part with his high draft picks lightly.”
Kupp’s salary would be a tight fit, with the Bucs operating at $10.3 million of cap space. But given that the NFC South is essentially a two-team race with the Atlanta Falcons, the pursuit of a fourth straight division title could make Kupp’s acquisition price worth it to Tampa Bay.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have the most cap space of any team on this list at $23.7 million. So fitting Kupp’s salary onto the books is not the question here.
But despite Jerry Jones’ stated “all-in” mantra, the Cowboys have not operated in that fashion, ranking 14th in cash spending this season. The result is a 3-3 team that is fortunate to even be .500 with a minus-42 point differential.
One of Dallas’ many holes is its dearth of pass-catching options apart from CeeDee Lamb. Lamb has accounted for 28% of the Cowboys’ receiving yards this season, ninth-highest in the NFL. Dak Prescott is averaging 8.5 yards per attempt when targeting Lamb but only 6.7 when targeting any other player this season.
Kupp would help address that need for a second option in the passing game. While there would be some redundancy with Kupp and Lamb both occupying primary slot roles, both players are talented enough to produce from any spot, particularly if they’re given two-way go’s from reduced alignments.
If Jones was serious about his preseason proclamation, adding Kupp to boost Dallas’ flagging offense would finally back up his words.