As the start of the new NFL year looms next week, the Rams could soon reach a conclusion to their trade talks involving wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
The veteran receiver is due a $7.5 million roster bonus March 15, three days after the beginning of the new league year. And that date would appear to give a deadline for the Rams to either find a new team for Kupp, release him or renegotiate his contact.
“The roster bonus is definitely, if there is a deadline in this situation, that roster date does weigh a good bit in the algorithm and formula that we’re working through,” Rams general manager Les Snead said on a Zoom press conference Wednesday.
Following the season, the Rams informed Kupp that they would look into trading him, allowing the former Super Bowl MVP to work with the franchise to find a favorable destination. Kupp caught 67 passes for 710 yards in 2024 after missing four games with an ankle sprain suffered in Week 2. It marked the third year in a row that Kupp has missed at least four games with injury following his Triple Crown season in 2021.
Kupp announced the team’s decision in the first week of February. A month later, the Rams have yet to find a trade partner. Like head coach Sean McVay on Monday, Snead did not rule out the possibility of Kupp returning to the Rams in 2025 under a new contract structure. But Snead did not seem to be counting on that coming to fruition.
“There is a scenario, but when you get into probabilities, that would be the least likely,” Snead said. “Just moving forward, we felt like this would be, let’s call it a time for the next chapter for both parties, even though obviously all the chapters up until now have been definitely very fruitful, impactful.”
Quarterbacks, present and future
Wednesday was the first time Snead has spoken with reporters since the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford reworked his contract to clear the path for a return to Los Angeles in 2025.
“It was a very impactful result,” Snead said. “At the end of the day, I always call it a renewal of vows. … Once we sat down, it was very obvious that we all wanted to continue the partnership and continue chasing some form of greatness together.”
Stafford finished his fourth season with the Rams in 2024 with a 65.8% completion rate for 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He threw for two touchdowns in the Rams’ wild-card round win over the Vikings, then almost completed a 13-point comeback in the divisional round against the Eagles before falling short in the red zone in the waning seconds.
On Monday, McVay said the Rams want to keep riding Stafford as long as he continues to play football. But the team restructured only one of the two years remaining on Stafford’s contract, and understand that at 37 he won’t play forever.
So Snead said the team will have to balance using their assets to try to win around Stafford, while also preparing a succession plan at quarterback.
“We probably would approach it ASAP,” Snead said. “The part of the equation that’s the hardest of that equation is, it’s one thing to identify a QB, it’s another to actually be able to acquire him. But let’s say we did and that person could learn under Matthew, that’s probably only beneficial.”
Snead also reiterated McVay’s desire to have Jimmy Garoppolo return next season as Stafford’s backup, but added that Garoppolo is still weighing his options – whether to be a true backup, go compete for a starting job somewhere or serve as a bridge quarterback to a prospect.
“We’ve got to sit down with Jimmy as he figures out what’s next,” Snead said.
Notes
As for other Rams free agents, Snead was succinct when asked if the Rams will be in contact with cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, saying, “Definitely.”
The Rams didn’t show urgency in bringing Witherspoon back after a successful stint in 2023; it wasn’t until injuries decimated the team’s cornerback room that he was signed, first to the practice squad and then to the active roster in October. But by Week 15, he had taken over as a starting cornerback.
Snead was less definitive about bringing back receiver Demarcus Robinson in 2025. The veteran was re-signed to a one-year deal prior to free agency a year ago, but Snead indicated that the Rams would allow his legal process to play out following his November arrest for DUI.
“He does have some things that he’s gotta work through legally [this] offseason that could prevent some play time in the future, so that’s the reality,” Snead said. “That’s what you have to work through. We appreciate what he’s definitely done.”