Rams seeking to trade 'highly motivated' Kupp

LOS ANGELES -- Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been informed by the Los Angeles Rams that "the team will be seeking a trade immediately," he announced on Monday.

"I don't agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA," Kupp said in a statement posted to social media.

The receiver said the team will be working with him and his family to "find the right place to continue competing for championships" and that he is "highly motivated" and healthy as ever as he prepares to head into next season.

During the Rams' final open locker room session after the team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs, Kupp said there was "no doubt" in his mind he wanted to play in 2025. He said while he "would love to be in L.A.," he has no control over what will happen this offseason.

After a record-breaking 2021 season that saw him lead the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, Kupp signed a three-year contract extension worth $80.1 million. He just completed the first season of that contract and is scheduled to have a cap hit of $29.8 million next season and $27.3 million in 2026.

Kupp's guaranteed salary next season is only $5 million, and he has no guaranteed money on the final year of the contract in 2026. If the Rams trade Kupp in a deal designated post-June 1, they will save $20 million toward their 2025 salary cap.

If the Rams cut Kupp this offseason, they will save $15 million in cash and $7.52 million against the salary cap. If the Rams release him without a post-June 1 designation, they will absorb $22.2 million in dead money due to the remaining prorated portions of his signing bonus and $5 million of his roster bonus.

Kupp has spent his entire eight-season career with the Rams, starting in 2017 as a 24-year-old rookie. He was a third-round pick out of Eastern Washington who had 62 receptions in his debut season.

After the team acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Lions in exchange for Jared Goff ahead of the 2021 regular season, Kupp had one of the best receiving seasons in NFL history. He capped the season with eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams' Super Bowl win over the Bengals, which earned him the game's MVP award.

The 2021 regular season was one of two seasons in which he played every game. Since then, he has played 33 games in three seasons with a season high of 812 receiving yards.

Over the past two seasons, the Rams have increasingly relied on wide receiver Puka Nacua in the passing game, which made it unlikely Kupp was going to return to the team on his current contract. Nacua missed six games this season but is averaging 88.4 receiving yards per game over the first two years of his career.