Wide receiver Cooper Kupp was released by the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday after the team failed to find a trade partner.
Kupp, 31, was designated as a post-June 1 cut which costs the Rams $14.78 million in dead cap in 2025 and $7.48 million in 2026. Kupp’s release will save the Rams $15 million in cap space next season.
Kupp spent eight seasons with the Rams, but Los Angeles moved in a new direction, signing Davante Adams to a two-year deal.
Kupp had a season for the ages in 2021 when he won the NFL receiving triple crown with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He caught two TD passes in the Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals, was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection.
That postseason he totaled 33 catches for 478 yards and six touchdowns in four games and was named MVP of Super Bowl LVI with eight receptions for 92 yards and the two TDs, including the winning 1-yard score with 1:25 left in the Rams’ 23-20 victory.
But Kupp has been plagued by injuries over the past three seasons and has only topped 800 yards once during the span. This season, he injured an ankle in Week 2 and was limited to 12 games, producing 67 receptions for 710 yards and six touchdowns.
Kupp, who turns 32 in June, is eager to recapture his form.
“2024 began with one of the best training camps of my career,” Kupp wrote in February when he learned the Rams would try to trade him. “Preparations start now for 2025. Highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come.”
Kupp was due to make $20 million in 2025 in salary and bonuses with a cap hit of $29.78 million, making it difficult to find a trade partner.
Current Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was the Rams’ offensive coordinator when Kupp had his mammoth campaign, which has prompted speculation that Minnesota could be interested.
Kupp was a college star at FCS Eastern Washington before the Rams drafted him in the third round of the 2017 draft. He has 634 catches for 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns in 104 regular-season games (89 starts).
