How would Cooper Kupp do catching balls from Patrick Mahomes?
Chris Jones gave his take on Jalen Hurts while Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said his team is in good shape injury-wise for Super Bowl 59. But peeking ahead to the 2025 season, here’s the perfect trade the Chiefs must offer the Rams for Cooper Kupp.
First, any trade for Kupp has to be dipped in reality. While Kupp had a great season in 2021, that’s the only year he started a full slate of games. Over the last three seasons, Kupp played in 9, 12, and 11 (this year) contests.
So there’s no break-the-bank trade here. Kupp will be 32 years old in June. The Chiefs can deal for him, but it doesn’t have to be a high price. Perhaps a low-end draft pick would work.
Chiefs shouldn’t overpay for WR Cooper Kupp
Kupp’s value is more modest than some might imagine, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on espn.com via heavy.com.
“The executives I’ve been texting with today do believe that Cooper Kupp will have a market,” Fowler said. “Because he’s quarterback friendly, he can make contested catches, is still the smartest guy on any field he steps on. And he is a hard worker that can set a tone with a new franchise.
“But we might not be talking about a robust market because of the age. The declining production, some of the injuries, and then he’s due $20 million next year. (And) $5.5 million of that is guaranteed. I don’t doubt that the Rams would eat some of the money to facilitate a trade, so that could certainly help matters.”
Another reason the Chiefs make sense is because they were linked to Kupp during the 2024 season, according to a post on X by Dianna Russini.
“The Rams and the Chiefs discussed Cooper Kupp, but the Super Bowl champs needed to trade with a team that was willing to take on a large chunk of the salary and didn’t want to give up high picks.”
The Chiefs eventually grabbed DeAndre Hopkins, who hasn’t proven to be very valuable. Hopkins has just three catches for 18 yards over his last three games.
Cooper Kupp accepts his fate
With a $29.7 million cap hit coming for the 2025 season, Kupp acknowledged his days in Los Angeles are likely limited, according to his post on X.
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“I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships. I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA.
Still, if there’s one thing that I have learned over the years: there are so many things that are out of your control, but it is how you respond to these things that you will look back on and remember. I have taken so much pride in playing alongside my teammates for the LA community, so thank you for embracing my family and making this such a special place for us.
2024 began with one of the best training camps of my career. Preparations start now for 2025. Highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come. Love you guys.
What would the Chiefs offer?
No team should give up more than a fifth-round pick for Kupp. There’s too much injury history and it’s better to draft a young fourth-round wide receiver than to move the pick for a guy who may not be available on Sundays.
The Rams might have been better off dealing Kupp in October as far as value received. Of course, that might have kept them from reaching the playoffs. But then again, Kupp did next to nothing for the Rams down the stretch. In his last five games, he caught only 10 passes for 143 yards and no touchdowns. That’s awful production, especially for a receiver like Kupp.
If the Rams had traded him in the regular season, they might have scored a second- or third-round pick from a receiver-hungry playoff contender. Head coach Sean McVay said teams inquired about Kupp, according to cbssports.com.
“Here's what I'll tell you,” said McVay. “Teams reached out, some of the things that I've seen out there, they are just not true. We've addressed that with those individuals. Teams have called about him, and really we let him know what the dialogue was there. And then there's a lot of stuff out there where there's not a lot of accountability to the reports. And that's unfortunate.”
A healthy Kupp could give the Chiefs a chance to be in the Super Bowl mix again in 2025. They will have to do something because most of their receivers are unrestricted free agents: Hopkins, Mecole Hardman, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Justin Watson.
So the Chiefs will need to make some difficult decisions in the offseason. And their receiver room could look much different that it did in 2024.
