A franchise legend is looking for his next home after the Los Angeles Rams officially released wide receiver Cooper Kupp Wednesday afternoon.
The divorce between Kupp and the Rams was long expected and the sides were working on a possible trade before the decision was made to ultimately release the Super Bowl LVI MVP.
Kupp, 31, was drafted by the Rams out of Eastern Washington in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. A small school standout, he became the surprise engine of Sean McVay’s offense, quickly becoming one of the most explosive and reliable receivers in the NFL.
In 2021, he broke the NFL’s single-season record for all-purpose yards by a receiver and notched a league-leading 16 receiving touchdowns. He was named the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance in their own stadium.
In Super Bowl LVI, Kupp snagged eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns and ended the evening hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in front of a sellout crowd at SoFi Stadium and being named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
His 33 catches during that postseason run are the most ever in NFL playoffs history.
In the years since, he has struggled to stay healthy, logging fewer than 12 games per season and failing to meet that same level of dominance that made him a household name in L.A.
In his absence, shifty slot receiver Puka Nacua ascended to the top of the Rams’ depth chart and continued Kupp’s legacy as an unheralded underdog receiver who shattered records and became a security outlet for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Kupp’s departure has been in the works for weeks and made all the more likely after the team signed six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams.
Kupp released a statement on social media in which he thanked the Rams organization, its fans and the city for “eight years of incredible memories” and welcoming him and his family with open arms.
“We talked often about the Rams being back in L.A. 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 L.A. But we knew at the end of the day, it’s about providing moments. Shared experiences. The things that parents and their children will talk about and remember forever,” Kupp wrote. “That is what makes the ending of these last eight years so difficult. It’s the ending of something we have enjoyed building with you. Thank you for these shared moments.”
He finishes his Rams career fourth on the all-time receiving list, third in receptions and third in receiving touchdowns. He is one of only eight wide receivers to ever be named Super Bowl MVP, and the most recent at the position to do so.
“A pillar of this franchise and community. There will never be another like No. 10,” the team wrote on social media.
Kupp will now be a free agent for the first time in his career and look for a final major payday as he aims to prove he’s still got miles left on his tires.
“Next chapter starts now,” Kupp said. “Best is yet to come.”
