Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) participates in pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
If and when Cooper Kupp leaves the Los Angeles Rams this offseason, it won’t be because he wanted to. The veteran wide receiver made that much clear in his somber message to fans after he was informed by the Rams organization in early February that “the team will be seeking a trade immediately.”
A month after his trade news was announced, Kupp opened up about the hard conversation he had with coach Sean McVay about the Rams’ choice to deal him.
“I walked into Sean’s office and he said, ‘We’re going to trade you,’” Kupp told the Los Angeles Times. “I asked if there were any other thoughts on ways to move forward, were there any other options to figure things out, and he said no, this is the way they wanted to go.
“In that moment, I made the decision that I didn’t want this to be a bitter thing in terms of our ending there.”
Kupp went on to share his mixed emotions about his impending exit from the franchise, where he has spent his entire eight-year NFL career thus far.
“And as time has gone on I’ve had to deal with all the frustration, anger, sadness, all these things that as a human you process,” continued Kupp. “Having to say goodbye to people and know that that door is closed. That’s been tough to walk through as the weeks have gone by.”
Kupp emphatically “closing the door” on a Rams return differs from McVay’s recent comments in which the Rams coach said he would “never speak in absolutes” about Kupp’s future.
Rams general manager Les Snead echoed that there was a possibility Kupp would remain a Ram, but it was the “least likely” option.
Three seasons removed from his peerless 1,947-yard, 16-touchdown campaign in 2021, Kupp sounded hopeful about his future in the league and expressed his desire to land on a team that values him.
“This is just another chapter of the Rams doubting what I can be and who I can become, what I can do as a football player. And in that same vein I’m like, I’ve been through this. I know how to navigate these waters. I’m excited to do it,” said Kupp.
