The Los Angeles Rams suffered a tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs. Cooper Kupp saw a reduced role over the past two months. Kupp wants to keep playing next season, but he’s unsure where that might be.
Cooper Kupp Unsure Where He Will Play Next Season
Cooper Kupp is a future Hall of Fame receiver. He is a Super Bowl champion and triple crown-winning wideout. In 2021, Kupp led the league in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns and was named the Offensive Player of the Year. For many seasons, Kupp has been an integral part of the Rams offensive success. However, this season, especially in the last 7 games, Kupp was barely a factor in the Rams’ offensive schemes. This has led Kupp to question his future with Los Angeles.
Over the last six games, Kupp did not have a game with over 5 receptions. In four out of the six games, he had three or fewer receptions or less including a game against the San Francisco 49ers where he did not record a catch. Puka Nacua emerged as the number-one target for quarterback Matthew Stafford this season.
Where else would be a good fit for Kupp?
If the Rams decide to move on from Kupp, numerous teams should be interested in his services. Although his triple-crown days are behind him, Kupp is still a great NFL receiver. He is a low wide receiver one, high wide receiver two in the league. Lately, for the Rams, he has often been the third or fourth option. So, where else could Kupp be a good fit?
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off another season with a winning record, but not winning a playoff game. The offense struggled yet again, as the Steelers frankly just lack talent on that side of the ball. Regardless of who is the Steelers quarterback next season, Cooper Kupp could greatly benefit this team. If the Steelers decide it is time to move on from wide receiver George Pickens, the team would be in desperate need of a star wide receiver. Pittsburgh could also trade for Kupp and keep Pickens, forming an elite wide-receiver duo. Although there are question marks at quarterback about whether the starter will be Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, a free agent signing, or a draft pick, Kupp would benefit whoever. Regardless of who the signal caller is next year, the addition of Kupp would make their job a lot easier.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are coming off of a somewhat surprising playoff appearance. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix had a great season, throwing for 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions. He added 430 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. This is even more impressive because it was largely a one-man receiving crew in Denver. Courtland Sutton had 81 receptions for 1,081 yards and 8 touchdowns. Marvin Mims had the second-most receiving yards on the team with 503. Kupp would slot in extremely nicely next to Sutton and could open up another dimension of this Broncos offense and Bo Nix. Although Denver had a good season, they should be looking to upgrade their roster as they were clearly a few steps behind the elite teams in the league, evident by their 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. Kupp would be a great addition to the Broncos offense next season and could accelerate Bo Nix’s growth.
New England Patriots
The Patriots are coming off of a terrible season. However, it is a new era in Foxborough as the franchise has hired Mike Vrabel to be the new head coach. Quarterback Drake Maye had a great rookie season, showcasing his ability as a passer and runner. If New England wants to give Maye more help, Kupp could be the perfect trade target. Kupp is a target machine and has frequently made life easy on Matthew Stafford in LA. If the Patriots want to continue to develop Maye, they need to get him a wide receiver one option like Kupp.
Main Photo: [Joe Camporeale] – USA Today Sports
The post Cooper Kupp Unsure Where He Will Play Next Season appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.