The Los Angeles Rams are in an interesting position ahead of the 2025 draft and season, armed with a Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion at quarterback surrounded by young talent on both sides of the ball. Talent like Rams wideout Puka Nacua.
Nacua, the No. 177 overall pick in the 2023 draft, was a Pro Bowler as a rookie. He is stepping into a larger role as the Rams’ unquestioned No. 1 option in the passing game in 2025.
However, Nacua made it clear that his time with the Rams and the NFL is finite.
“I want to retire at the age of 30,” Nacua, 23, said on the “Join The Lobby” podcast on March 22. “I think of Aaron Donald, man. To go out at the top, I think it would be super cool. But then also be like, ‘Yo, I want to have a big family.’ Just I want to have at least a starting five. I came from a big family, I need five boys. I need five boys, for sure.
“But also be like, ‘Man, I want to be able to be a part of their lives and be as active as I can with them.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead could both be gone by the time Nacua retires. Still, this is something to file away and plan for accordingly. Similarly, Nacua spoke from a long-term perspective.
“Injuries are something that you can’t control; part of the game. So hey, man, you never know. Hopefully the rest of my career go healthy,” Nacua said. “But, man, you have shoulder surgery, you have knee surgery, you have ankle – and be like, yo, by the time my kids could be 18, I could be barely walking if you play the game and you sustain all the injuries and stuff like that. But I want to retire early.”
The average NFL career is 3.3 years long, per Statista in March 2024.
That number drops to 2.8 years for receivers. Nacua will have beaten those odds more than three times over. He wants to get into real estate and restaurant ownership after his playing days end.
Puka Nacua Reacts to Rams Adding Davante Adams
GettyFormer New York Jets WR Davante Adams #17 celebrates against the Seattle Seahawks.
Nacua will have a new running mate on the perimeter. The Rams cut Cooper Kupp after preemptively replacing him with Davante Adams.
“I’m super excited. Like I said, I grew up a Packers fan. … I’ve been watching that No. 17 for a while and being like, ‘Yo, that guy moves really well, especially because I’m a basketball fan. I love to see guys who you can see, kind of tell guys when they play basketball, they play a different sport. Just because their movement pattern is a little different,” Nacua said.
“At the line of scrimmage, he’s kind of talked about, man, it’s like a basketball crossover. Like hesi, in-and-out, and stuff like that. I’m like, ‘Man, I love that.’”
“That’s why I like playing football, because of how much my position resembles basketball. Man, I think I could hoop, so – I think I got a nice jump shot – so I’m like, ‘I could do this,’” Nacua said “So when we’re out there running releases or doing routes and stuff like that, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ve felt this movement before.’ So I’m super excited.”
Nacua is also excited to partner with a fellow Jordan Brand athlete.
“Now we got to make sure we kind of coordinate our Js so when we walk out there it’s going to be fire,” Nacua said.
Puka Nacua Gets Honest About Cooper Kupp’s Exit
GettyFormer Los Angeles Rams teammates Puka Nacua #17 and Cooper Kupp #10 look on against the Buffalo Bills.
Nacua advocated for Kupp to remain with the Rams, even expressing his dismay at the Rams’ intentions to trade him. Nacua expounded on his thoughts about Kupp.
“When the Coop news came out, that – being my mentor and somebody I’ve grown super close to – was something I didn’t expect to see. And I’m excited, because I know, well, whoever whatever team will get him, they’re getting somebody who can still play football at a really high level,” Nacua said.
“He’s an even better person, going to be even better leader, and a good locker room guy.”
Kupp signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent, so the former partners will do battle twice a year starting in 2025 until one of them moves on.
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