It’s been over a month since news broke that the Los Angeles Rams were looking to trade Cooper Kupp. Still, the thought of the former NFL triple-crown winner wearing another team’s jersey in 2025 feels strange.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Kupp revealed the mixed emotions he’s dealt with after finding out he would be leaving the team with which he’s spent eight seasons.
Kupp Reveals Feelings of ‘Frustration, Anger, Sadness’
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kupp relived when he was made aware of the team’s plans. He was called to head coach Sean McVay’s office, and McVay broke the news, telling him that the decision was final.
“I asked if there were any other thoughts on ways to move forward, were there any other options to figure things out, and he said, ‘No, this is the way they wanted to go,'” Kupp said.
Kupp’s comments suggest he was open to adjusting his contract to stay with the Rams, but the team had made up its mind, leaving the Super Bowl 56 champion to process the reality that he would be finishing his career elsewhere.
“In that moment, I made the decision that I didn’t want this to be a bitter thing in terms of our ending there,” Kupp said. “I try to keep it as positive as possible and just be forward thinking about how to walk out of there and be able to shake each other’s hands and move forward.”
Despite his admirable attitude, the situation naturally hasn’t been easy for Kupp. The reality that he’ll be saying goodbye to a team and a city he’s called home for eight years weighs heavily on him.
“We did that. And as time has gone on, I’ve had to deal with all the frustration, anger, sadness, all these things that, as a human, you process,” Kupp said. “Having to say goodbye to people and know that that door is closed — that’s been tough to walk through as the weeks have gone by.”
The Rams saw fit to invest a third-round pick on Kupp in the 2017 NFL Draft despite the fact he’d played in relative anonymity at Eastern Washington, a one-time NAIA school not exactly known for churning out NFL success stories.
However, Kupp wasted no time proving he belonged at the highest level, recording 62 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns on 94 targets over 15 regular-season games as a rookie. Kupp went on to record two 1,100-plus-yard seasons in 2019 and 2021, generating an NFL-best 145-1,947-16 receiving line over 17 regular-season contests.
Yet, that season marked the last one in which Kupp played a full allotment of regular-season games. The veteran wideout progressively lost ground in the Rams’ wide receiver hierarchy over the last two seasons to Puka Nacua, who’s gotten his career off to an even faster start than Kupp by recording 184 receptions for 2,476 yards and nine touchdowns across 28 regular-season games in his first pair of NFL campaigns.
Rams Seeking Trade Partners for Cooper Kupp
With two years remaining on the $80.1 million extension he signed in 2022, Kupp was due to earn $39.8 million over the next two seasons. That figure included $20 million in 2025 and $19.8 million in 2026. Kupp missed five games in each of the last two NFL seasons after missing eight in 2022, all due to injury.
Durability concerns are the main reason the Rams are exploring a trade. The team isn’t in a dire salary cap situation heading into 2025, and since they’ve opted to retain a 37-year-old Matthew Stafford, Kupp’s age likely wasn’t a significant factor.
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The Rams are in win-now mode, but the idea of the team winning it all without their talismanic receiver is undeniably sad. No one feels that more than Kupp, who shared his emotions in his honest and vulnerable interview.
‘I Can Still Do It’ — Kupp Has Plenty Left To Give
Turning the focus to his future, Kupp spoke with the confidence that comes with a career as decorated as his own. Despite not knowing who he’ll be playing for in 2025, he was bullish about his ability to contribute at the highest level.
“I said at the beginning of last year that if I didn’t believe I could play football at a very high level — at a level where I see myself doing the things I want to do — I don’t want to be playing football anymore,” Kupp said.
And he is far from seeking a swan song season — Kupp plans to continue contributing well into the future, potentially even into the next decade.
“And I can still do it. I want to do it for four more years at least, and I plan to be playing at a high level,” Kupp said. “That’s just where I see myself. When I see myself on film, I’m progressing. Things are moving forward.”
While Kupp’s next team is a mystery, his focus and determination remain clear.
Could Kupp Be Headed to the AFC East?
While it’s unclear what direction the Rams will take with the roster in flux, PFSN’s Sterling Xie thinks Kupp could be headed to an AFC franchise that has been trying to revamp its WR room over the past few seasons.
Xie wrote, “Eliot Wolf has tried to upgrade the NFL’s worst wide receiver room in recent years. Trade inquiries on Brandon Aiyuk fell short last summer, as did the free agent pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins two years ago. Although Cooper Kupp is past his prime and not a splashy acquisition, he would likely come at a low cost.”
“New England needs any talent it can acquire at receiver, and even in a down year, Kupp averaged 1.99 yards per route run in 2024. That ranked 26th among wide receivers and is higher than any Patriots WR has averaged in a season since Kendrick Bourne in 2021 (2.0).”
Rookie QB Drake Maye turned some heads with the limited talent at his disposal in 2024. Maye’s top weapon was TE Hunter Henry, who hauled in 66 receptions for 674 yards and two touchdowns. No Patriots pass catcher scored more than three receiving touchdowns in 2024.
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While Kupp may not fulfill the Patriots’ need for a WR1, it would give Maye a reliable set of hands who hauled in 67 receptions for 710 yards and six touchdowns, even in a down year. Those marks are better than every receiver on the Patriots’ roster.