Cooper Kupp, the Los Angeles Rams' stellar wide receiver, faces an offseason filled with uncertainty regarding his future with the team. Despite his desire to continue playing for the Rams, Kupp acknowledges that much of his future remains "out of my control." The wide receiver, who has two years left on a contract extension signed in 2022, expressed confidence about playing next season. Yet, he is aware that decisions made by the Rams could alter the landscape.
Kupp's standout season came in 2021 when he secured the receiving triple crown, culminating in being named the Super Bowl LVI MVP. His performance that year cemented his reputation as one of the top wide receivers in the league. This past season, however, was marred by challenges. Kupp managed 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns over 12 regular-season games. He missed four games due to an ankle injury sustained in Week 2 and sat out the season finale after the Rams secured the NFC West title.
Throughout the first nine games of the season, Kupp maintained consistent performance with five or more targets each game, accumulating 63 catches for 657 yards and six touchdowns. He voiced his intent to continue impacting games and expressed satisfaction with his contributions despite the ups and downs of the season.
"Obviously I want to be able to feel like I'm impacting games, and that's done on a much more discreet level, I feel like, for a lot of these games," – Cooper Kupp
During a reflective moment on the season, Kupp revealed that he remained proud of his work despite external factors affecting his output.
"And that is what it is, but I can look back on the season and be happy with what I put on tape and things that I was being asked to do, feel like I was executing my job. And that's all you can do." – Cooper Kupp
The Rams' financial considerations add another layer of complexity to Kupp's future with the team. If the Rams decide to release him this offseason, they would save $15 million in cash and gain $7.52 million against the salary cap. However, releasing him without a post-June 1 designation would result in $22.2 million in dead money due to remaining prorated portions of his signing bonus and a $5 million roster bonus.
Kupp acknowledged frustrations over the team's offensive inconsistencies throughout the season and his personal production not reflecting his efforts.
"There's all these things you're weathering through offensively, things that I feel like, man, we should be better than the product we're putting out there in terms of the production and the points that are being scored," – Cooper Kupp
"And then just for me personally feeling like, man, there's things, I'm watching film, feeling good about football and playing, but productionwise it's not showing up. And a lot of stuff's outside of my control. And it is frustrating." – Cooper Kupp
Despite these uncertainties, Kupp remains optimistic about his future in football.
"I feel like I've got a lot of good football left in me," – Cooper Kupp
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