Peter Schrager, a close personal friend of head coach Sean McVay, suggested that Cooper Kupp may be expendable to the Rams.
The Los Angeles Rams are now 1-3 after losing to the Chicago Bears in Week 4. Their chances to reach the playoffs are now just 12 percent behind 12 other NFC teams. Soon they may have to make some hard decisions with their long-term goals in mind.
Would The Rams Trade Cooper Kupp To The Chiefs?
In the wake of the Rashee Rice season-ending injury, Schrager named four receivers the Kansas City Chiefs should target to keep their Super Bowl three-peat hopes alive. Kupp was on that list with Amari Cooper, Jalin Hyatt, and Keenan Allen.
Kupp has missed the last two and a half games with an ankle injury. His return date is a mystery, but Kupp has not practiced since Week 2 and was in a cast up until last Wednesday.
When healthy Kupp, was still Matthew Stafford’s top target. Despite missing all that time he still leads the team in targets by eight.
2024 seemed like a bridge year for the Rams as they rebuilt the defense around a young defensive line corps and heavily invested in the offensive side of the ball. It seemed the plan was for Puka Nacua to seamlessly take the reins from Kupp while relying on a downhill rushing attack behind a beefed-up offensive line that would also benefit Matthew Stafford with added protection for his 36.5-year-old body.
Of course, injuries derailed that plan and they now find themselves nearing a crossroads with an aging quarterback and no future at the position waiting in the wings.
The Los Angeles Rams’ front office is not afraid to make cold, business decisions for the greater good of the franchise, so a move like this can’t be taken off the table.
Les Snead once called Kupp one of the team’s weight-bearing walls that they orchestrated an on-the-fly rebuild after a disastrous 2022 season. Given the multiple things that have transpired since he said that, that strategy has likely been torn off the big board and filed in the nearest waste bin.
The fact that Peter Schrager put Cooper Kupp in the mix with those other receivers should also raise eyebrows. Schrager and McVay hosted a podcast together in 2022 and he gave a speech at McVay’s wedding, a whose who of the football world.