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The Los Angeles Rams haven't had a quiet offseason by any stretch of the imagination. The team gave veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford free rein to seek a trade, but it ended up just being contract negotiation posturing. The two sides didn't take long to come to an agreement, and Stafford will be back with the team in 2025.
Stafford was likely hoping to come back to the same old faces that brought him so much success, but that won't fully be the case. With the team needing more salary cap flexibility and looking for more reliable production, the team had put Cooper Kupp up for trade recently. There hasn't been much interest in a Kupp trade, so the Rams are reportedly getting ready to cut him outright.
Cooper Kupp to be released from Rams without trade interest
Releasing Kupp will not come cheaply. Kupp carries $22,260,000 in dead cap if cut this offseason, which appears to be the only outcome as of this moment.
Keeping him for the 2025 season would mean taking a $29,780,000 salary cap hit, but at least they would be able to use his production on the field. The Rams will save $7.52 million in cap space by cutting him, but it doesn't outweigh the dead cap hit for a player who won't play for them.
On the day this news broke, so did fellow Rams wideout Tutu Atwell getting a 1-year, $10 million contract from the team. Incumbent WR1 Puka Nacua took to his Instagram stories to congratulate Atwell for the contract, captioning the news with "Yesssuhhh".
Nacua also reposted the Rams' social media 's slideshow of Tyler Higbee moments throughout his Rams career. Higbee is under contract for 2025. Both Atwell and Higbee will have to take on more work with Kupp departing. Nacua will likely get a bump in targets as well.