Sports is the ultimate what have you done for me lately business, and this past week has been a blunt reminder of this reality. The most recent football related example of this is that the Los Angeles Rams have informed wide receiver Cooper Kupp that they will begin shopping him for a trade as soon as possible. In the days leading up to last years trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the teams that called about his availability before Sean McVay and company ultimately decided to hang on to the former Super Bowl MVP to make one final run in the postseason. Should this be something that the team revisits in the coming months?
Before getting into what Kupp would bring to the table as a player, it's imperative to understand his current contract. Any team looking to acquire the playmaker would be for his $12.5 million base salary but he also has a $7.5 million roster bonus coming his way with $5 million guaranteed on March 15. His cap charge for 2026 is currently set at $19.85 million, but none of that remaining money is guaranteed as of right now. Kupp will turn 32 years old in June and is currently the 10th-highest paid receiver in the league heading into the new year.
His 2021 season will forever be remembered as one of the greatest that we've ever seen. He joined an exclusive club by taking home the triple crown, leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16). Since that point, Kupp has missed 19 games over the past three seasons due to various ailments. Multiple ankle injuries, as well as a hamstring strain, have made him a frequent bystander in recent years. As expected, his production during that time frame has tailed off and he hasn't registered more than than 727 yards in each of the last two seasons.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) is being introduced before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
When you go back and watch his film from this past season , you still see a useful player. Kupp does most of his damage in the slot, aligned in a tight split or in motion to give him free releases off the line of scrimmage with his calling card being his route running. Kupp is a highly intelligent player that excels by understanding how to manipulate defenders leverage to keep them off balance. He's always had a knack for finding the soft spot in zone coverage and throttling down or working back to the ball to make himself available to the quarterback. His hands are super reliable (4.8% career drop rate) and because of his size and body control, is still a factor in contested catch situations. It's also worth noting that he's one of the most physical and technically refined blockers that we've seen at the position in this era.
But father time is undefeated, and it's pretty apparent that it's catching up with Kupp. A credit to good offensive architecture, he's put in very advantageous situations by design but the more difficult assignments seemed challenging for him last season. The two-way gos in the slot weren't quite as automatic as they had been for the majority of his career. While still a highly efficient mover, he's not quite as explosive out of his breaks anymore and it's prohibiting his ability to separate as effectively. With those targets often coming in closer quarters these days, he't not as dangerous after the catch and the numbers back that up. His 4.0 yards after the catch figure was the lowest of his career despite a nearly identical average depth of target. Beyond figuring out how much of this decline was injury related, it's worth pondering whether the Steelers have the right offensive mind that can maximize the things that he does well while minimizing his deficiencies.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp in a game against the Washington Football Team at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. Oct. 11, 2020 — All-Pro Reels Photography
After combing through the tape, it's evident that Kupp is still a useful player but more of a complimentary piece rather than a focal point of an aerial attack. Like any transaction, the cost to acquire him is the key here. Unless the Rams agree to eat some of his contract, it's difficult to see any team, much less the Steelers, being amped up to trade for him at his current cost. The interesting part of this whole song and dance is that the Rams do have a history of taking on money in order to trade receivers. For example, they acted accordingly when trading Allen Robinson to the Steelers prior to the 2023 season . You can assume that Los Angeles will bring up the Keenan Allen trade that netted the Chargers a fourth-round selection from the year prior but the big difference there is that he was coming off an uber productive season. The same cannot be said for Kupp.
Perhaps he'd be willing to adjust his contract in order to facilitate a trade to an attractive location, swapping out some of his base salary money for production-based bonuses. Because of his inflated contract at this stage, there's also the chance that the Rams just release him, allowing him to choose his next destination, instead of haggling with teams over what is likely to be an insignificant trade return. On the open market, it's realistic to assume that Kupp could command something similar to what De'Andre Hopkins got from the Titans a couple years ago: two years for $26M.
With the Steelers making the decision to run it back with their current core and coaching staff, there must be some belief that they can contend sooner rather than later. With an aging defense, aggressive moves to kickstart a struggling offense are necessary. However, Kupp isn't the needle mover that his reputation would suggest.
Sure, his skill set would be pretty handy at the right cost and offer a short-term upgrade but Pittsburgh should think bigger in their pursuit of playmakers, whether that's during the free agency period or the NFL Draft.
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