Unable to find a trade, the Rams have moved on from Cooper Kupp all on their own.
Los Angeles informed the All-Pro wideout it will be releasing him on Wednesday following eight seasons together, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported. The team subsequently announced the release following the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. ET.
By releasing Kupp ahead of June 1, the Rams save $7.5 million in 2025 but take on $22.3 million in dead money.
Kupp, who announced on Feb. 3 that the team was seeking to trade him "immediately," departs a franchise hero with the third-most receptions (634) and receiving touchdowns (57) and fourth-most receiving yards (7,776) in Rams history.
He joined the Rams in 2017 and soon established himself as a third-round stud before finding another stratosphere thanks to L.A.'s addition of quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2021.
In their first season together, Kupp won the receiving triple crown and Offensive Player of the Year with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He averaged 119.5 receiving yards across the club's four playoff games while adding six more TD catches, including two scores as Super Bowl LVI Most Valuable Player to help power the Rams to a Lombardi Trophy.
Injuries have run their course since, causing Kupp to miss 17 total games across the past three seasons. His combined stat line from 2022-24 eclipses his triple-crown triumph by only 56 catches, 312 yards and one TD catch.
He looked especially worn down at the conclusion of his final year in L.A., averaging two catches and 28.2 yards per game over his last five contests.
Still, Kupp will still be a sought-after wideout heading into his age-32 season. There's a chance his struggles to end the 2024 campaign were more tied to coming off a high ankle sprain, and he makes up for whatever physical decline was real with crisp route-running, sure hands and always being in the perfect position.
Teams from championship contenders all the way down to rebuilders looking for a mentor will have interest, especially now that it won't take giving up an asset to add him.
The Rams, meanwhile, are set to move on with Puka Nacua as the face of their wide receiver room, with new addition Davante Adams filling Kupp's shoes as WR2.
