The Los Angeles Rams are planning to trade wide receiver Cooper Kupp this offseason, and they have already signed his potential replacement.
Free does not begin until March 12, with the legal tampering period opening on March 10.
Still, the Rams got active on a busy day around the NFL, signing former Green Bay Packers, Las Vegans Raiders, and – most recently – New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams to a contract, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“Sources: Davante Adams to the #Rams,” Rapoport reported on X on March 9. “He gets a 2-year deal worth $46M with $26M guaranteed. He wanted to stay on the West Coast.”
The Rams announced the deal soon after and shared the NFL’s highlight clip for the news.
Adams joins the Rams fresh off a five-year, $140 million contract that he signed in 2022 with the Raiders but did not get to finish. He has still banked more than $129 million in his career, adding to that with this new deal.
Davante Adams, Rams Send Telling Message Contract Agreement
- GettyFormer Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams #17 talks with Cooper Kupp #10 of the Los Angeles Rams.
Adams’ annual salary speaks volumes about how the Rams view Kupp, who is 31 years old and coming off another injury-shortened season. He still proved productive, but not at a $20-plus million cap hit.
That is what Adams will carry.
Adams had been linked to the Rams before officially securing his release from the Jets, who are undergoing a rebuild.
“The Jets must address the future of receiver Davante Adams, whose $38.3 million cap hit is untenable,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on February 8. “A source told me Adams is intrigued by a return to the West Coast and would be open to potentially joining teams such as the Rams or Chargers — if he gets released. I would put the 49ers in the conversation, too. Adams grew up in Northern California.”
“Davante Adams wanted more than $20M per year and to stay on the West Coast. He gets that and more,” Rapoport said in a follow-up post on X. “And while there was always talk of him landing with Aaron Rodgers, he found the right place for him.”
Rams Closed Door on Cooper Kupp
- GettyCooper Kupp #10 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after beating the Seattle Seahawks.
Adams has recorded five consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards heading into 2025. He has had at least 997 yards in eight of his 11 seasons in the NFL.
Kupp has not crossed the 1,000-yard mark since the 2021 season when he won Offensive Player of the Year, made his lone Pro Bowl, and won Super Bowl MVP. He shared just how final the Rams’ decision to move on was in an interview with the LA Times’ Sam Farmer.
According to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, McVay led the push to bring Adams in.
According to Kupp, Rams head coach Sean McVay informed him there was no alternative.
“I walked into Sean’s office and he said, ‘We’re going to trade you,’” Kupp said, per Farmer on March 8. “I asked if there were any other thoughts on ways to move forward, were there any other options to figure things out, and he said no, this is the way they wanted to go.”
That somewhat contradicts McVay, who told reporters he would “never speak in absolutes” when asked about Kupp on March 3.
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