The Los Angeles Rams and wide receiver Cooper Kupp are set to part ways this offseason. Kupp’s production and contract have put the Rams in a challenging position, as they are set to pay Kupp handsomely this season.
The veteran wide receiver was one of the team’s most productive players during his eight seasons in Los Angeles. He has gone from one of the main pieces of a potent Rams offense to an afterthought seemingly overnight, as his Triple Crown season was not long ago.
Kupp noted that he does not want to leave Los Angeles and was even willing to renegotiate his contract in order to do so. However, Rams head coach Sean McVay made it clear the team planned to go in a different direction altogether, and part ways with Kupp.
“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.
After receiving confirmation from McVay that there would be no reconciliation between them, Kupp made peace with the decision. Ever the professional, Kupp was determined not to let his time with the Rams end negatively after all they had been through together.
The question now is whether the relationship can be saved ahead of free agency’s start this week. Kupp has been one of the Rams’ top footsoldiers during the entire McVay era. He has been a pillar of the organization, a face of the offense, and a key piece of their DNA.
It now appears, though, that the two sides are beyond the reality of saving their working relationship. The NFL is a business, and even Kupp can’t be saved from the hard truths that come with it.
Kupp’s situation is a part of life in the National Football League, as many well-known but high-priced players have been traded or cut from their respective teams. It happens every offseason as stars age, their production declines, and teams move on.
Still, it is understandably difficult for a player to play for one team for nearly a decade, have the success Kupp and the Rams had together, and abruptly told things are ending.