Turf Show Times
Whether Kupp is traded or released, these landing spots make sense for the star receiver
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Los Angeles Rams are attempting to find a trade partner for star receiver Cooper Kupp, especially if you’ve been following Turf Show Times in the early stages of the offseason.
It will be tough to find a suitor for Kupp through trade; however, he’s still a useful contributor and extraordinary locker room leader. There will be a handful of teams interested in his services and he could easily end up in a situation where he gets to choose his landing spot for 2025.
These are the teams that make sense for Cooper Kupp’s next destination:
This might not be the most obvious fit, but it makes a lot of sense the more I think about it. Kupp says he wants to play for a contender and Jacksonville may not readily fit that profile.
The most clear connection to Kupp and the Jaguars is the fact that former Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen was recently hired as Jacksonville’s head coach. Coen will look to bring elements of the Rams’ and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offenses in order to maximize Trevor Lawrence’s capabilities. Lawrence could certainly use a friendly target and chain mover in addition to ascending rookie Brian Thomas, Jr.
Kupp could help lead the Jaguars’ turnaround in a similar vein that Andrew Whitworth served when he signed with the Rams as a free agent in Sean McVay’s first season in 2017.
Continuing with the idea that Kupp can be a young quarterback’s best friend, the Commanders could also use Kupp to build on a strong rookie season from Jayden Daniels.
On the surface, it might seem that Terry McLaurin and Kupp would form a crowded receiver room; however, Kupp may be better served as a secondary option and complementary piece at this point in his career. Washington also needs more pass catchers with all but McLaurin and 2024 third rounder Luke McCaffrey left after Noah Brown, Dyami Brown, KJ Osborn, and others hit free agency this spring.
With a star quarterback on a cost-controlled rookie contract, the Commanders have money to burn. There are worse ways to spend that money than bringing in a stabilizing presence like Kupp.
Drake Maye was arguably the second-most impressive rookie quarterback behind Daniels. He also needs more weapons in order to build off the flashes he showed in his first season.
New England figures to be a top landing spot for Cincinnati Bengals free agent receiver Tee Higgins, but they probably need to make more than just a single signing in order to aid Maye’s development. Kupp doesn’t have a history with head coach Mike Vrabel or offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, so the fit isn’t obvious here.
Still, a key knock on Maye coming out of the draft is that he can be too aggressive and sometimes mistake-prone. There’s no better way...
