The Los Angeles Rams reached the NFL playoffs for the second consecutive year, narrowly losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. While a majority of the team’s top players will be returning in 2025, it appears Los Angeles will have one massive departure.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford announced in January that he will play in 2025. However, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee he’ll be with the team next season. He carries a $50 million cap hit, a figure that will have to be addressed this offseason.
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While a contract resolution will presumably be reached with Stafford, that’s far from a guarantee for All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp. After three consecutive injury-riddled seasons, heading into a year with one of the highest cap hits at the position, Kupp’s time in Los Angeles might be over.
On Friday’s episode of the Inside Coverage podcast, senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports said that he doesn’t believe that Kupp will be back with the Rams next season.
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- Cooper Kupp stats (Los Angeles Rams career): 634 receptions, 7,776 receiving yards, 57 touchdowns, 12.3 yards per reception, 355 first downs in 104 games
If this is the end of Kupp’s tenure in Los Angeles, he’ll finish as one of the best receivers in franchise history. He is fourth all-time among Rams career receiving yards leaders, with the third-most receiving yards per game (74.8) and the third-most career receptions (634). However, moving on always felt inevitable.
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Kupp carries a $29.78 million cap hit in 227, which simply can’t be afforded for a wide receiver who hasn’t played in 13-plus games since 2021. He’s also seen his yards-per-target rate drop from 9.2 from 2017-2022 to 7.7 in the last three years.
- Cooper Kupp stats 2024: 67 receptions, 710 receiving yards, 10.6 ypr, 6 touchdowns in 12 games
As noted on Spotrac, a pre-June 1 release of Kupp would leave a $24.6 million cap hit in 2025 with $5.02 million in cap savings. However, a post-June 1 cut designation would free up $15 million in cap space, with his dead cap number spread out over 2025 ($14.78 million) and 2026 ($7.48 million).
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With Stafford likely already headed for a restructured contract, negotiations that will prove challenging, the Rams front office simply can’t afford to go through the same with Kupp and keep him at a high cost. While his departure will weaken the receiving corps, it will allow Los Angeles to address other areas in free agency this spring.