The Los Angeles Rams have made the difficult decision to move on from one of their cornerstone players this offseason, informing Cooper Kupp that they intend to trade him at some point soon. While no trade has come to fruition yet, all indications are that Kupp has played his last down with the Rams.
He announced the Rams’ plans on social media earlier this month and now three weeks later, Sean McVay has commented on it for the first time publicly. On the “Fitz and Whit” podcast with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth, he discussed the decision to move on from Kupp, which wasn’t an easy one.
He shared his love and appreciation for the eight-year veteran, calling him an “all-time Ram” no matter what.
“I’m a better human, I’m a better coach, I’m a better person because of my relationship and the influence Cooper Kupp’s had on me,” McVay said. “His legacy in my life and as a Ram is cemented forever. And we’ve had to have some honest conversations. And here’s the reality, too. I think you always preface it with, you have a responsibility to the collective and it doesn’t mean you’re right. I’ve been wrong before, I’ll be wrong again. Doesn’t change my love, my appreciation, my gratitude for everything that he’s meant.”
As great as Kupp has been for the Rams since being drafted in the third round in 2017, he’s become injury-prone and expensive. With a cap hit of $29.78 million in 2025, McVay and the Rams believe they can better allocate that money elsewhere – and potentially even get something in return for the receiver in a trade.
McVay has nothing but respect and appreciation for what Kupp has helped him accomplish as a head coach, but he no longer fits in the Rams’ plans.
“When you do look at putting together the puzzle, sometimes decisions that you try to be able to make for the collective don’t necessarily fit with people that are so special,” McVay said. “And no matter what he does, he’s an all-time Ram from this point on, whether he played another snap or not for the Rams – or wherever he goes on to have success for however many years he wants to continue to do it. But you try to say it’s business, it’s personal. It all is intermixed. I don’t think you can separate it. I think you acknowledge that tough decisions have to be made.”
Kupp was the MVP of Super Bowl LVI with the Rams, the Offensive Player of the Year and the triple crown winner that season. It was one of the greatest seasons ever by a wide receiver and though Kupp hasn’t come close to matching that production since, he’s still a valuable player in the NFL with his do-it-all skill set.
McVay is going to miss him in Los Angeles but he knows they can look back on the last eight years and feel good about all that they accomplished.
“I love him. He knows that I love him. I couldn’t have more respect for him, even in terms of the way that he handles some of those difficult conversations,” McVay said. “And that’s an inevitable part of it. And I do believe that even though this isn’t an ideal situation, I think there’s going to be a lot of gratitude that I think we both look back on for eight years that, man, what an incredible blessing he’s been. And I’ve always felt a real appreciation and gratitude from him, as well.”
from Rams Wire https://ift.tt/gtT12I0
