Turf Show Times
Puka Nacua is one of the most productive and successful receivers in the NFL right now, but would he be among the league’s top weapons if not for Matthew Stafford? If most of his success is credited to Stafford, then the time will come for the Los Angeles Rams to trade or part ways with Nacua, which will probably be shortly after the quarterback retires.
On the other hand, if Nacua is an elite weapon for any quarterback, then he’d be the perfect player to keep long-term for Ty Simpson.
It’s sort of like the chicken and the egg for quarterbacks and receivers: Who deserves more credit? The wrong answer could cost the Rams over $100 million.
As I wrote last week, the Rams should extend Nacua, but with the caveat that they need to have options to part ways when Stafford calls it quits:
Given Nacua’s talent as a receiver and importance to Matthew Stafford, a contract extension is reasonable. Given Nacua’s balls-to-the-wall physical playing style that often gets him hurt and his potential for distractions, a deal that gives the Rams options to part ways would be prudent.
That piece was about the correlation between the top-paid wide receivers and the teams making the playoffs. Surprisingly, or not, spending top dollars on a receiver didn’t work out for the majority of those teams. In fact, 12 of the top-15 receivers with the highest cap hits in 2026 were on teams that missed the playoffs.
I’m assuming for the sake of this article that the Rams will extend Puka Nacua’s contract because they need him right now. As we’ve seen with some recent trades, like the ones involving A.J. Brown and Sauce Gardner, options to make a deal can be open even shortly after an extension is signed.
Nacua is important for Stafford, and Stafford is important to Nacua. But given that one of those players is taking his retirement plans on a “year to year” basis, half of the equation could be gone by 2027 or 2028. At which point, the Rams may need to re-evaluate Nacua’s value even after signing an extension.
Can Nacua be “Puka” without Stafford?
Two years from now there will be a host of variables to consider regarding Nacua staying with the team or not. Has 13 personnel eroded the need for a stud receiver? Is Puka still healthy or has he been injured and missing games?
But the most important variable, as far as I’m concerned, is whether Stafford is still the quarterback or not.
When he was on the Detroit Lions, Stafford helped Calvin Johnson produce Hall of Fame caliber stats, including three straight first-team All-Pro seasons from 2011 to 2013. We rarely saw Johnson without Stafford, but he was always at his best with Stafford.
When Stafford got to the Rams, he...
