Rams Get Reality Check About Risky Decision on $45 Million Icon

The Los Angeles Rams made a move this offseason that reverberated around the league, cutting wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Moreover, the Rams replaced him with former Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Jets star Davante Adams.

Both parts of the decision – cutting Kupp and bringing in Adams – factored into what many around the league peg as a good move for the Rams.

The logic begins with the now-Seattle Seahawks star’s drop-off

“Three things can doom a veteran player: age, injury history and declining skill,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on June 17. “While Cooper Kupp was a Los Angeles Rams great, he was affected by all three categories above.”

Kupp caught 67 passes for 710 yards and 6 touchdowns during the 2024 regular season, missing five games due to injury. He has two 1,000-yard seasons in his career.

Kupp has also played in an entire regular season slate of games once in eight seasons.

Kupp was heading into Year 2 of a three-year, $80.1 million contract and was due a $5 million roster bonus in March. He signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Seahawks in free agency this offseason.

Davante Adams ‘Good Value’ for Rams

In many ways, Adams is the polar opposite of Kupp, with consistent production bolstered by similar availability.

Fowler cited Adams as “still performing at a high level” and “rarely” missing time, also noting that, while he may have “lost a step,” he is still considered “elite” by “many evaluators” around the league.

Moreover, Fowler reported teams contacted believe the Rams got “good value” in Adams.

He signed a two-year, $44 million contract in free agency. The  Rams can get out of it with $14 million in savings in 2026. However, while risky, the move is expected to boost the Rams.

“Sean [McVay] can get really creative with him, because he’s that classic outside receiver with size that you can also slide inside,” an anonymous NFL personnel evaluator told Fowler. “It’s a risk because Kupp was so good there for so long.”

The evaluator called Adams a “slight upgrade” over Kupp for the Rams.

Adams has recorded over 1,000 yards receiving in five straight seasons and six of the last seven. His only miss in that span was in 2019 with the Packers, and he still had 997 yards.

He has also appeared in 17 games in 2022 and 2023 before missing three contests in 2024 with a hamstring issue while his trade request was sorted out. Notably, Adams battled injury issues at the start of his career. He logged a full regular season slate three times over his first eight years.

Dollars Make Rams Move Make Sense

The consistency and reliability of Adams is one thing, but the financial is another entirely for the Rams, particularly in light of their decision on Kupp. They saved $7.5 million against the cap but also incurred a $22.3 million dead money charge.

The Rams are carrying the eighth-most dead money in the league as of June 17, per Spotrac.

Kupp’s charge is the largest. Joe Noteboom ($10 million), Aaron Donald ($9.6 million), who has not played since 2023, and Jonah Jackson, now of the Chicago Bears, are behind him.

The good news for the Rams is that their books are clear of dead money in 2026. That is, unless the Rams decide to part with Adams one year early.