Though it’s not what he wanted, Cooper Kupp is on the move.
The Los Angeles Rams officially released Cooper Kupp on Wednesday, after originally looking for a trade partner for the wide receiver. A deal never materialized, so the Rams instead opted to simply move on.
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Kupp, who has spent his entire eight-year career with the Rams, is now a free agent. A month after flagging that the Rams were looking to trade him, the receiver took the time to say goodbye to L.A. on social media.
"Eight years of incredible memories," Kupp wrote, alongside a video showing his timeline with the team. "Thank you for these shared moments. Thank you LA for welcoming my family with open arms and allowing us to grow here.
"Next chapter starts now. Best is yet to come," Kupp added.
Eight years of incredible memories.
We talked often about the Rams being back in LA and how we would grow to be something special here. And there was frustration early on around getting the buy in from the people of LA.
But we knew at the end of the day, it’s about providing… pic.twitter.com/QhW9oihGeT
— Cooper Kupp (@CooperKupp) March 12, 2025
The Rams selected Kupp in the third round of the 2017 draft out of Eastern Washington, and he quickly became a key piece in their offense. He erupted during their Super Bowl run during the 2021 season, and he helped lead the team to just their second championship in history while earning Super Bowl MVP honors. Kupp had 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns on 145 catches that season, all of which led the league. He also averaged an NFL-best 114.5 yards per game.
Kupp’s production has declined since. He had 710 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 67 catches this past season. The Rams went 10-7 and reached the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round. Kupp had seven catches for 90 yards in the postseason.
The move came about a month after Kupp made the shocking announcement that the Rams were shopping him ahead of the Super Bowl.
"I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in L.A.," Kupp wrote in an emotional social media post on Feb. 3, in part. "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."
Soon to be 32, Kupp had two years left on his three-year, $80 million deal. He was owed $20 million next season and just shy of that mark in 2026.
Now that he's been released, Kupp is expected to have interest from multiple teams. While he hasn’t been anywhere near as good as he was during his peak, Kupp is still absolutely capable of making an impact on the field. Once he's with a new franchise, he’ll have the chance to do just that.
