The Los Angeles Rams‘ Super Bowl window is wide open, especially with a busy offseason acquiring vital pieces to the championship puzzle.
Their next major investment could come from inside the building.
Puka Nacua is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and The Athletic placed the Rams receiver among the NFL players whose contract situations deserve attention as training camps begin.
The reasoning of Nacua’s placement revolves around his fifth-round pick status in 2023, leaving the Rams without a fifth-year option that would keep him under team control through 2027.
The Athletic pointed to Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s new deal with the Seattle Seahawks as the benchmark.
Smith-Njigba signed a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March that averages $42.15 million per season, making him the NFL’s highest-paid receiver.
“Nacua, given his production, should end up in that ballpark,” The Athletic‘s Daniel Popper wrote.
That would turn one of the NFL’s best draft bargains into one of its highest-paid receivers.
A four-year extension matching Smith-Njigba’s $42.15 million annual rate would be worth $168.6 million in new money, a remarkable jump for a player selected in the fifth round.
Nacua Has Already Built a $40 Million Outlook
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Puka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams signs autographs for fans during the Los Angeles Rams Training Camp at Loyola Marymount University on July 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Nacua has 4,191 receiving yards through his first three seasons.
The Athletic noted that only Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase has more over that stretch.
His 2025 season strengthened the case for a market-level extension.
Nacua caught an NFL-high 129 passes for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning unanimous first-team All-Pro honors. He finished second in the league in receiving yards behind Smith-Njigba while serving as the most productive target for MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford.
There was little buildup to that high-caliber production.
Nacua broke the NFL rookie records for receptions and receiving yards immediately after the Rams selected him No. 177 overall in 2023, finishing his first season with 105 catches for 1,486 yards.
Spotrac lists Nacua’s original rookie deal at four years and $4.08 million, with $244,976 guaranteed at signing.
A proven-performance escalator has pushed his 2026 base salary to $5.767 million, but the difference between his current deal and the top of the receiver market is enormous.
Smith-Njigba has helped set what the next negotiation could look like. His $42.15 million average moved him ahead of Chase, whose extension averages $40.25 million annually.
Nacua now enters talks with more receiving yards through three seasons than Smith-Njigba and a first-team All-Pro selection of his own.
Rams Have Off-Field Factor to Weigh
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 18: Puka Nacua speaks onstage during the impaulsive panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 18, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for Fanatics)
The contract conversation comes with an off-field element for Los Angeles.
Nacua is the defendant in a California civil lawsuit stemming from allegations that he made an antisemitic comment and bit a woman on New Year’s Eve.
The filing also alleges he bit another woman’s thumb. Nacua’s attorney has denied the antisemitic allegation and previously described the biting as “horseplay.”
Nacua entered a care facility during the offseason, and his attorney said the receiver went there to focus on his health and personal growth.
Nacua later spoke about learning that it was OK to seek support and thanked the organization and his teammates for standing behind him.
He has since returned to football.
Rams coach Sean McVay confirmed Saturday that Nacua would participate in training camp practices despite entering the final year of his deal.
And at yesterday’s camp session, the Nacua-Stafford connection was in full swing.
Regarding his contract, the Rams have time to negotiate, and the franchise tag could eventually provide another avenue if an extension is not completed before free agency.
But the receiver market has already moved beyond $42 million per year.
Three seasons after landing Nacua in the fifth round, Los Angeles is approaching the other side of that bargain.
The remaining reservation is how close to the top of the market the Rams are prepared to go.
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