Cooper Kupp announced on Monday night that the Rams are seeking to trade him.
I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships. I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA.
Still, if there’s… pic.twitter.com/XWmbGVscGy
— Cooper Kupp (@CooperKupp) February 4, 2025
Kupp was rumored to be on the trade block during the season, but a deal never materialized. Without a strict deadline to get a trade done, it looks like this time it counts. After playing the first eight years of his career with the Rams, Kupp is now on the market as a big-name addition for a receiver-needy roster. Here are six teams that should pick up the phone and make an offer.
New England Patriots
Kupp is set to make $20 million this year, meaning either the team acquiring him needs to have loads of cap space or the Rams will be forced to eat some of his salary. If he goes to the Patriots, LA might not be on the hook for much of his contract. New England has an astounding $120 million in cap space this offseason. They’re going to be spenders on the open market whether they like it or not. The Pats also have a few extra picks to work with in the form of an additional third-round selection and two extras in the seventh. Hunter Henry led the Patriots with 674 receiving yards last year. He and Demario Douglas tied for a team-high in receptions at 66. That can’t happen again if the Patriots want to give Drake Maye a shot at taking the next step. If the Pats are willing to foot the bill for Kupp’s contract, they could give their receiving room a sizable upgrade without spending much draft capital.
Cooper Kupp next team odds (via DraftKings)
Steelers +500
Bengals +500
Commanders +600
Patriots +600
Chargers +600
Broncos +600
Cowboys +800
Bills +1300
Rams +1500
Ravens +1500
Unsurprisingly, the Patriots rank among the teams most likely to land Kupp. The Commanders, my bet for Kupp’s landing spot, are in the second tier of odds at +600. The only surprise here is Cincinnati. With Ja’Marr Chase set for an extension and Tee Higgins also a free agent, they have enough spending at receiver on tap without adding another wideout to the mix. Some dates are more important for the Bengals than other teams. If they want to place the franchise tag on Higgins again, they have to do so by March 5th. Higgins would cost the team roughly $26 million. That’s not too much more than what Kupp would run them before factoring in the draft capital needed. However, Kupp is due a roster bonus of $7.5 million on March 15th. If he isn’t traded by then, the Rams pick up the tab for the bonus. Kupp becomes a far more attractive piece for a team like the Bengals once LA is forced to handle the roster bonus.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders are flush with cap space, making Kupp’s contract a non-issue. Unlike the Patriots, the Commanders are also ready to win now. They became just the eighth team to make a conference championship with a rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era. Washington did so with Jayden Daniels throwing to Dyami Brown as his No. 2 receiver and 34-year-old Zach Ertz as his starting tight end. Kupp would fill the WR2 void on the team and is a perfect fit for Kliff Kingsbury’s dink-and-dunk offense.
The Rams transitioned away from Kupp as the focal point of their offense this year, giving Puka Nacua the easy-button targets during the second half of the season with Kupp operating as a field-stretcher. His average target depth sat at 10.4 from Week 10 onward. He has never had an aDOT above 10 over the course of a full season. This shift crushed his ability to earn targets. Kupp had a 20 percent target share over his final 10 games. Matthew Stafford looked his way on 19 percent of his routes. For reference, those numbers were at 25 and 23 in 2023. Given Kingsbury's love of short throws, the Commanders might be able to revive Kupp by returning him to an underneath possession role. While Kupp’s days as a fantasy WR1 are seemingly over, going to Washington might be his best shot at sustaining WR2 production.
Houston Texans
Houston took a shot on a former superstar wideout last offseason in Stefon Diggs. Why not run it back? The Texans restructured Diggs’ contract to make him a free agent this offseason and he is recovering from a torn ACL. Tank Dell has an even more lengthy recovery ahead of him after suffering a torn ACL, MCL, and LCL last year. With C.J. Stroud regressing in his second season, the Texans can’t enter 2025 with Nico Collins and no one else at wide receiver. Kupp also has a connection to the Texans in the form of OC Nick Caley. Houston hired Caley away from the Rams after the season ended. He spent two years in LA and added the title of pass game coordinator to his resume in 2024.
Kansas City Chiefs
Speaking of teams who have already traded for a former star wideout once in the past year. Kansas City struck out on DeAndre Hopkins. With one game left to go, the veteran receiver is averaging a measly 37 yards as a Chief. He has one catch for 11 yards in the postseason. He and Hollywood Brown are impending free agents. Rashee Rice is recovering from a catastrophic knee injury and may be served a lengthy suspension to start 2025 as well. Bringing in Kupp would keep the check-down role filled while giving Xavier Worthy more opportunities to test defenses downfield. The Chiefs are tight on cap space, meaning the Rams would likely have to keep some of Kupp’s salary if this trade happens. That, in turn, would allow LA to ask for more draft capital in a potential deal.
Pittsburgh Steelers
While the Steelers aren’t known for making splashy moves, they have made it clear they are desperate for more firepower at wide receiver. They were reportedly interested in Kupp at the trade deadline, but the surging Rams held onto him and Pittsburgh settled for Mike Williams. Nine catches later and Williams is a free agent, along with Van Jefferson, who served as the team’s No. 2 receiver for most of the year. George Pickens took a step back in 2024, going for just 900 yards. He made plenty of big plays but wasn’t able to round out his profile with a surplus of short-area looks. Pittsburgh needs someone to fill that role for the offense and they can’t count on Pickens to handle it.
A bonus for Kupp is that the Steelers use Pickens primarily on the outside and don’t have an established slot receiver in the mix. Kupp appeared to have something left in the tank as a slot receiver last year. Even when his production was in freefall—the Week 10 onward split—Kupp averaged 1.8 yards per route run from the slot. That dipped to 1.3 when lined up out wide.
Los Angeles Chargers
Kupp has a cap hit of $27.3 million in 2026 but no guaranteed money for the final year of his current deal. His recent downturn all but guarantees he won’t see that money. However, he could agree to a restructured deal to reduce his cap hit in 2026 or one that simply allows him to reach free agency next offseason, similar to what Houston did with Diggs’ contract last year. If Kupp wants to stay in Los Angeles, he might be more willing to rework his deal with the Chargers compared to other teams. The Bolts are also near the top of the list of receiver-needy squads. Ladd McConkey looks like a star, but Quentin Johnston is more of a splash-play-specialist than a true WR2.
