GM Les Snead says the Rams are on the clock to move Cooper Kupp, bolster roster
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Now that the Rams have completed what Les Snead described as “a renewal of vows” with quarterback Matthew Stafford, the team’s longtime general manager turns his attention to what looks like an imminent breakup with star receiver Cooper Kupp.
Kupp, the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year, officially has been on the trading block since last month, when he announced on social media that the Rams had informed him they would try to move him.
Kupp, who signed a massive extension in 2022, is scheduled to earn about $20 million in salary and bonuses in 2025, with a $7.5-million roster bonus due next week.
“If there is a deadline in this situation,” Snead said Wednesday during a videoconference with reporters, “that roster date does weigh a good bit in the algorithm formula that we’re working through.”
Matthew Stafford and the Rams reached an agreement on a restructured contract that will keep the quarterback from being traded or holding out for a new deal.
Kupp, who will be 32 next season, was the most valuable player of Super Bowl LVI. The eight-year veteran has been a cornerstone of coach Sean McVay’s offense for most of his career.
But Kupp struggled with injuries for much of the last three seasons, and Puka Nacua has asserted himself as the No. 1 receiver.
After the Rams started 1-4 last season, Snead said the Rams fielded trade inquiries from other teams. But the Rams turned around their season, finished with a 10-7 record and advanced to the NFC divisional round before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Kupp caught 67 passes for 710 yards and six touchdowns. He had six receptions for 90 yards in two playoff games.
“We felt like this could be, let’s call it, ‘a time for the next chapter for both parties,’” Snead said. “Even though, obviously, all the chapters up until now have been definitely very fruitful and impactful.”
McVay said this week that discussion about a possible restructure of the extension Kupp signed in 2022 had not occurred.
Is there a scenario in which Kupp could be with the Rams next season?
“There is a scenario,” Snead said, “but when you get into probabilities, that would be the least likely.”
Rams coach Sean McVay says the team never got close to trading quarterback Matthew Stafford, but acknowledges the decision to move on from Cooper Kupp has been difficult.
With Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell set to become free agents next week, Nacua and second-year pro Jordan Whittington would be the top returning receivers. The Rams are expected to bolster the position group in free agency and the draft.
But resolving Stafford’s situation, achieved last Friday, was the most important part of the offseason.
For the second year in a row, the Rams and Stafford agreed to an adjustment of the extension he signed in 2022. Stafford was due to earn a below-market $27 million in salary in 2025. Terms of the adjustment have not yet been made public.
“Once we sat down, it was very obvious that we all wanted to continue the partnership, and continue chasing some form of greatness together,” Snead said.
Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo remains the Rams’ top choice to return as Stafford’s backup. But Snead said Garoppolo would take time to explore other opportunities to possibly start or serve as a bridge quarterback for another team.
Snead made two recent moves that will affect the offensive line.
As they did last offseason, when they re-signed guard Kevin Dotson before the start of free agency, the Rams last week agreed to terms with left tackle Alaric Jackson on a three-year extension that includes $35 million in guarantees.
“We wanted him back and he wanted to be a Ram, so it became a win-win situation,” Snead said.
After just four games in L.A., Jonah Jackson’s injury-plagued tenure with the Rams is officially over. The Rams are trading Jackson to the Chicago Bears.
This week, the Rams traded guard Jonah Jackson to the Chicago Bears for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick.
Jackson, who signed a huge free-agent contract in 2024, played in only four games last season. The Bears agreed to pay all of Jackson’s $9-million salary next season.
“We thought it was in the best interest of all parties to move on,” Snead said.
Jackson was the second big free-agent acquisition in three years to last only one season with the Rams. Receiver Allen Robinson played the 2022 season before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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