ClutchPoints
The Washington Commanders have a gold opportunity to strike out west. They can put a deal together to snatch Cooper Kupp away from the Los Angeles Rams.
Kupp’s L.A. days are officially numbered. The Rams plan to trade their Super Bowl LVI Most Valuable Player this offseason. Kupp himself took to social media on Monday confirming his pending departure.
Washington is fresh off putting together a surprise run to the NFC title game. And the Commanders pulled it off with Jayden Daniels leading the offense as a rookie. The franchise now will enter the 2025 season hearing Super Bowl chatter. But they must put together some additional aggressive moves to raise their title chances.
And that’s where trading for Kupp comes into play.
The Commanders are labeled the fourth-best trade option for Kupp and the Rams. That makes Washington the one NFC team with the best chances of landing the past Pro Bowl wide receiver.
Kupp and the Commanders make sense for a multitude of reasons. It starts from a financial standpoint.
Washington sits at more than $78 million in cap space for this offseason. That number gives them the third-best salary cap space per Over the Cap. Washington comes with financial flexibility for Kupp.
However, they’ll likely need to restructure Kupp’s deal if they want to make additional moves. Kupp carries more than $22.2 million in dead cap money and holds a $29.7 million cap hit, per Spotrac. Washington can attempt to work out a restructured contract — especially given Kupp’s age and history of injuries.
The 31-year-old Kupp, though, would enter a high-powered offense and not a rebuild. Daniels delivered a historic NFL debut by scoring a combined 31 touchdowns throwing and rushing. Terry McLaurin produced a career-best 13 touchdown catches but needs help on the perimeter. Washington additionally has continuity on offense with Kliff Kingsbury returning as offensive coordinator, despite re-emerging as a potential head coach candidate for this past cycle.
There’s even a past Rams teammate of Kupp’s in D.C. Linebacker Bobby Wagner played with Kupp in 2022.
But there are pieces in place for Washington to sell Kupp and pull off a trade. Now it comes down to what the Commanders have to sacrifice to nab him.
The Commanders have the draft to create a trade package for Kupp. Fans of Washington shouldn’t fear their team sacrificing the 29th overall pick for Kupp. To reiterate, Kupp’s age and recent string of injuries make him less likely to command a first rounder.
Washington, though, can put together a package that mirrors what the Miami Dolphins did two years ago. Los Angeles sent All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to Miami in March 2023 — which handed the Rams tight end Hunter Long and a third round pick. That third rounder became top pass rusher Byron Young.
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