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As the Kansas City Chiefs work to finalize a trade for DeAndre Hopkins, they also had conversations with the Los Angeles Rams about Cooper Kupp in their quest to fill their void at wide receiver.
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Chiefs and Rams discussed a deal for Kupp that didn’t come together because Kansas City didn’t want to give up a high draft pick and needed a trade partner willing to eat a “large chunk” of the player’s salary.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Chiefs will send a fifth-round draft pick that can become a fourth-rounder to the Tennessee Titans for Hopkins.
Kupp’s name was a surprise addition to the rumor mill leading up to the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
Russini, Michael Silver and Jourdan Rodrigue reported Tuesday that the Rams were calling teams to let them know Kupp was available and they would be willing to eat some of his remaining salary, but they wanted a second-round pick in return.
The news didn’t seem to catch Kupp off guard when he was asked about it Tuesday at practice:
“I’m aware of it, but at the end of the day, I mean, I’m going to be where my feet are. That’s all I know. I have a job to do here. And I take a lot of pride in giving everything I can for the guys in this building and being able to step on the field knowing that I prepared the best that I can. And for seven and a half years I’ve been an L.A. Ram and I’ve taken that approach every single day. And whatever happens outside of that, I’ve got to control what I can control. And right now that means being the best L.A. Ram that I can be.”
Even though there wasn’t anything to indicate the Rams would want to move on from Kupp, it makes sense they would at least explore it if anyone wanted to meet their asking price.
Kupp is 31 years old and has missed significant time in each of the past three seasons. He’s signed through the 2026 season with salaries of $12.5 million and $14.9 million after this year, but there’s only $5 million guaranteed remaining on his deal for 2025.
The Super Bowl LVI MVP has missed the past four games due to a high ankle sprain. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters that Kupp is expected to play on Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings, but he may not have a full workload at this point.
Kupp missed the final eight games of the 2022 season due to a high ankle sprain. He sat out five games in 2023 due to a hamstring injury.
While the Chiefs needed to make a move for a wideout, Kupp’s salary and injury history probably made him too risky for them. When you combine that with the reported asking price the Rams are seeking, it didn’t make sense to go that route.
Hopkins, with the exception of a two-year run from 2021 to ’22 in which he played 19 of a possible 34 games, has been one of the most durable receivers in the NFL throughout his career. He hasn’t missed a game since he joined the Titans before the start of the 2023 season.
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