Los Angeles Rams Hold Out for Substantial Return in Potential Cooper Kupp Trade
The 2024 campaign is shaping up to be the season of wide receiver trades, and the Los Angeles Rams reportedly want more for Cooper Kupp than the Las Vegas Raiders received from the New York Jets for Davante Adams.
“I know what they’ve told other teams is it’s going to cost more than Davante Adams cost,” NFL insider Albert Breer said Wednesday during a discussion with Colin Cowherd (two-minute mark).
ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted the Jets sent a conditional third-round draft pick to the Raiders, but that pick can become a second-rounder if Adams is on the active roster for the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl or qualifies for the All-Pro First or Second team.
This comes after Dianna Russini, Mike Silver and Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic reported Tuesday that Los Angeles wants a second-round pick in return and is even willing to eat some of the receiver’s 2024 salary to facilitate a trade.
Kupp is making $15 million in base salary this year.
The Adams trade isn’t the only one the Rams and interested teams could use as a blueprint. After all, the Cleveland Browns traded Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round draft pick to the Buffalo Bills for a 2025 third-round pick and 2026 seventh-round pick.
What’s more, the Tennessee Titans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs for a conditional fifth-round draft pick that can become a fourth-rounder.
Given those trades, a second-rounder may be a bit steep for Kupp.
While there is no doubting his talent, durability has been an issue. He has played just two games this season after appearing in 12 in 2023 and nine in 2022. The durability concerns have prevented him from building on a dominant 2021 season.
Kupp led the league in catches (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdown catches (16) as the Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. He also took home the Super Bowl MVP to end that season as the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.
That version of Kupp would be worth more than a second-rounder, so perhaps a team will take a chance hoping he can replicate that production when he returns to the field.
