Before wide receiver Cooper Kupp ever suited up for the Seattle Seahawks, his separation from the Los Angeles Rams was far more contentious than it appeared on the surface.
According to The Athletic’s Michael Silver, the Rams didn’t attempt to restructure Kupp’s contract or negotiate a reduced salary following the 2024 season. Instead, team officials “unceremoniously cut ties,” urging the former Triple Crown winner to retire altogether.
For a franchise icon who had spent eight seasons in Los Angeles, which included a Super Bowl MVP performance and an NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, the ending was abrupt and deeply personal.
Rams Urged Cooper Kupp to Retire Amid Fractured Exit
GettyCooper Kupp #10 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates with fans after a win over the Minnesota Vikings during the NFC Wild Card Playoff.
Kupp, who turned 32 this season, had become a symbol of the Rams’ championship era. But as injuries mounted and fifth-round breakout Puca Nacua emerged as the focal point of Sean McVay’s evolving offense, Kupp’s role steadily diminished. Plays were no longer schemed around him, and his influence within the offense vanished.
That disconnect only widened when the Rams quietly explored trade options in October 2024.
“The Rams shopped Kupp in October of 2024 but insisted they were merely fielding calls from other teams — a claim the receiver, according to two league sources, believed was disingenuous,” Silver wrote. “They decided not to trade him after Kupp returned from a high-ankle sprain to help the Rams rebound from a 1-4 start and get back into playoff contention. However, the relationship remained frayed.”
“This year has been very trying,” Kupp told Silver late in the 2024 season. “When it ended with the Rams, we weren’t in a good place.”
What stung most, according to Silver’s reporting, was what happened next. After Kupp was released last March, several “powerful” figures within the Rams’ organization never contacted him to thank him for his contributions.
Once he hit free agency, Kupp’s camp believed the Rams further damaged his market by cautioning potential suitors against offering more than the veteran minimum, citing his age and injury history.
Kupp’s Post-Rams Revival Delivers a Brutal Blow
The Seahawks, despite hearing what was coming out of the Rams’ organization, signed Kupp to a three-year, $45 million deal.
Teammates embraced his leadership, attention to detail, and selflessness, which became impossible to miss during the NFC Championship Game against his former team.
He caught the go-ahead 13-yard touchdown in the second half after ending the first half without a catch, and was helping out with some crucial blocking for his teammates.
“He’s a leader on the field; he’s a leader off the field,” quarterback Sam Darnold said. “He can get zero targets and block (Rams Pro Bowl edge rusher) Jared Verse every single play and never complain once. It’s a lesson for kids — not only kids, but players as well. It’s not always going to go your way, but if you just continue to push and do your job, the ball will find you.”
Former Rams linebacker Ernest Jones IV, now in Seattle, summed it up bluntly:
“They were done with him. (They said), ‘He’s not worth it.’ They said that about a lot of us.”
The Rams believed they were making the right move, but they just watched Kupp eliminate them in the NFC Championship game as he heads to the Super Bowl with a rival organization.
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