Tag: Cooper Kupp

Cooper Kupp will return punts for the Rams moving forward

Fresh out a massive contract extension, wide receiver Cooper Kupp has found another role to fill for the Los Angeles Rams.

One of the more surprising developments in the Rams’ Week 1 victory was that the team employed Cooper Kupp as their punt returner. Don’t be surprised when you see the fourth-year receiver catching punts next week. Sean McVay has named Kupp as the team’s punt returner moving forward.

McVay simply stated that “the more touches [Kupp] gets, the better it is for our football team.” It seems like the Rams plan on getting their money’s worth from Kupp, who just signed a three year, $48 million extension over the weekend to remain in Los Angeles.

Many expected fellow receiver Nsimba Webster to be the team’s punt returner in 2020. Webster took over the role from JoJo Natson last year in December and returned a handful of punts and kicks in five games. He made the roster again this season in a crowded offense and even returned kicks for the Rams against Dallas. But the Rams chose to go a different direction when it came to their punt returner.

Kupp briefly filled in for an injured Natson as the team’s punt returner in 2018, returning one punt for four yards. It appears the Rams have always been intrigued by the idea of Kupp as a return man but were afraid to commit to it full-time. With Kupp on the books for nearly $50 million, maybe they felt it was finally time to unleash him on special teams.

Expect to see Kupp catching punts for at least the next few games.

What does Kupp’s deal mean for Rams’ salary cap and John Johnson’s future?

The Rams probably won’t have the money to keep John Johnson after re-signing Cooper Kupp and Jalen Ramsey.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff said back in March that Los Angeles was trying to leave space in the salary cap for Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp and John Johnson, all of whom were set to hit free agency in 2021.

They took care of Ramsey and Kupp, but Johnson remains without an extension – and there have been no whispers that the two sides are even talking about a new contract. Johnson has said multiple times that he’s not bothered by this being a contract year for him, and that he plans to earn a lucrative contract somewhere next year.

But is it still possible for the Rams to be the team that rewards him?

After seeing them give Kupp $48 million for three years and Ramsey $105 million across five years, it’s hard to see how a contract for Johnson fits in. As of now, Jared Goff, Aaron Donald and Ramsey will all count at least $19 million towards the cap in each of the next four seasons after 2020.

When you add in Kupp’s contract, which runs through 2023, with around $16 million cap hits each season, the Rams’ cap situation gets extremely top-heavy. We don’t yet know Kupp’s cap hits per year yet, but if we project it at $16 million, Kupp, Goff, Donald and Ramsey will cost the Rams about $103 million in cap space next year.

Goff: $36.6 million cap hit
Donald: $27.9 million cap hit
Ramsey: $22.5 million cap hit
Kupp: $16 million cap hit (projected)
Total: $103 million

Of course, the Rams could’ve structured Kupp’s deal in a way where his cap hit is lower next year, thus saving room for other players, but if not, those four players will take up about 58.5% of the Rams’ salary cap – if it drops to the floor of $176 million that the NFL set.

Looking at the safety market, Johnson is probably going to look for at least $14 million, which Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu are making. Kevin Byard, Eddie Jackson and Budda Baker both eclipsed that number, but $14 million should be the target for Johnson, assuming he has a good year in 2020.

The Rams can afford to sign him, but it will really strap them financially for the rest of the roster. It’d likely force them to let Austin Blythe, Troy Hill, Gerald Everett and Josh Reynolds leave, all of whom are key players.

Ultimately, it’s difficult to see the team re-signing Johnson, especially with the front office’s history of not paying defensive backs (see: Marcus Peters, Trumaine Johnson, E.J. Gaines, T.J. McDonald). He’ll cash in somewhere, it just probably won’t be with the Rams.

Jalen Ramse jokes Rams have ‘salary cap turned off’ after Kupp deal

So much for the Rams being $400,000 over the salary cap on Wednesday, huh? Since then, they’ve extended both Jalen Ramsey and Cooper Kupp, who were at the top of their offseason to-do lists. On Saturday, Kupp agreed to a three-year deal worth $48 …

So much for the Rams being $400,000 over the salary cap on Wednesday, huh? Since then, they’ve extended both Jalen Ramsey and Cooper Kupp, who were at the top of their offseason to-do lists.

On Saturday, Kupp agreed to a three-year deal worth $48 million, just days after Ramsey inked a five-year, $105 million extension.

Ramsey joked on Twitter after Kupp’s deal became official that the Rams turned off the salary cap like some gamers do in Madden.

The Rams may have cap trouble down the line, but they have the core of their roster secured for the foreseeable future.

Rams, Cooper Kupp have made ‘significant progress’ on contract extension

The #Rams and WR Cooper Kupp have made significant progress on a large new contract extension, per me and @MikeGarafolo, and there is a real chance they finalize it before the team kicks off. – Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 12, 2020 The Rams …

The Rams already locked up one of their key players who was set to hit free agency by extending Jalen Ramsey, and they’re on the cusp of signing another.

According to Ian Rapoport, the Rams and Cooper Kupp have made real progress on an extension. There’s a chance he’ll be re-signed before Sunday night’s game.

Rams hope to get Cooper Kupp’s contract done this week

That would make two huge contracts done in the same week for L.A.

The Rams checked a big box off their offseason wishlist Wednesday, agreeing to terms on a five-year extension with Jalen Ramsey. It was a contract nearly a year in the making, but it finally got done before Week 1, easing the minds of the Rams front office and Ramsey himself.

He may not be the only Rams player to sign an extension this week, either.

On the same day that L.A. extended Ramsey, Sean McVay told reporters that the Rams hope to sign Cooper Kupp to a new deal this week, too.

Les Snead said Monday that the team was working on deals for Ramsey and Kupp, but wouldn’t reveal an exact timeline. He ensured that the team would be open to continuing negotiations into the regular season, but that may not be necessary for either player.

Kupp is set to be a free agent in 2021 as he enters his fourth NFL season. He had the best season of his career in 2019, catching 94 passes for 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns.

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Rams announce team captains for 2020 season

The Rams have three first-time captains this year.

Despite having the third-youngest roster in the NFL, the Rams certainly don’t lack leadership. They have veteran leaders in all three phases of the game, most notably with Jared Goff, Aaron Donald, Andrew Whitworth and Johnny Hekker.

They were all voted captains this season, along with five other players. The Rams announced their 2020 captains on Wednesday, headlined by the trio of Goff, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. On defense, John Johnson, Michael Brockers and Donald are also captains, as well as Hekker on special teams.

This is the first time Johnson, Kupp and Woods have been captains with the Rams, so they’ve clearly earned the respect of their teammates. The others are no surprise, as all of them were captains last year, too.

In 2019, the Rams only had six captains.

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With Jalen Ramsey’s deal done, Cooper Kupp is next. But can the Rams afford him?

The Rams don’t have an abundance of money left to spend on Cooper Kupp heading into 2021.

The Los Angeles Rams began Wednesday $404,000 over the salary cap. Yet, just hours into the day, they found a way to give Jalen Ramsey a five-year, $105 million extension. It seemed impossible when examining the Rams’ salary cap situation, but as always, there are methods to freeing up space.

The question now becomes whether they can create enough room for Cooper Kupp, who is set to become a free agent in 2021. Les Snead said on Monday that the Rams were working on extensions for Ramsey and Kupp, though he didn’t set a timeline for either deal to get done.

Well, with Ramsey taken care of, the Rams’ attention is turning to Kupp.

Fortunately, Los Angeles doesn’t have to sign Kupp right now. He won’t be a free agent until March, so there are no concerns about fitting him under the cap in 2020. What they do have to worry about is making it work next year.

If the salary cap drops to $176 million in 2021 like the NFL has said it could, the Rams will have a projected $9.3 million to spend – and that’s before Ramsey’s deal hits the cap, according to Over The Cap. It’s not a ton of money – nowhere close to what the Jaguars, Colts and Jets have to spend – but it’s enough to get by.

Regardless of how Ramsey’s deal is structured, he’s going to eat into that cap space at least a little bit, considering he’s not under contract in Over The Cap’s current projection. Say Ramsey’s cap hit next year is $15 million, that’ll leave the Rams $6 million over the cap.

In order to fit Kupp in, they may need to part ways with a key player or two, potentially A’Shawn Robinson, Rob Havenstein or Robert Woods. As unlikely as that is, the Rams’ options will be limited if the salary cap drops to $176 million.

The other question is how much will Kupp command? He won’t get close to the $27.5 million salary DeAndre Hopkins just got from the Cardinals, nor will he approach Julio Jones at $22 million per year. Instead, he’s more likely to be around the level of Odell Beckham Jr. and Tyreek Hill at $18 million, or possibly Mike Evans and Adam Thielen in the $16 million per year range.

If Kupp does get north of $16 million per year, that’ll give the Rams four players who are making more than $15 million per year – with Ramsey, Jared Goff and Aaron Donald being the others.

That leaves very few resources left for the rest of the roster, especially with Leonard Floyd, Austin Blythe, Troy Hill, Gerald Everett, John Johnson and Josh Reynolds all hitting free agency next year, too.

The Rams would love to keep Kupp – Kevin Demoff said in March that they were trying to reserve space for him, Ramsey and Johnson – but financially, they’ll have to be flexible and possibly part ways with important players.

As it’s often said, the salary cap is a myth, and so the Rams can make it work. It’s just a matter of whether they will in time before he hits the market.

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Cooper Kupp jokes with Johnny Hekker after being holder in scrimmage

Cooper Kupp took Johnny Hekker’s place as the holder in Saturday’s scrimmage.

Johnny Hekker did not take part in the Rams’ scrimmage at SoFi Stadium on Saturday as he was back home attending the birth of his child. As a four-time All-Pro, he didn’t need the extra practice punting anyway.

However, his absence did impact another phase of special teams: field goals.

Hekker is the holder on kick attempts and has been for years. The Rams are trying to sort out their kicking competition, so every aspect of the field goal operation matters. Hekker is an excellent holder, but his backup isn’t too shabby, either.

Cooper Kupp took Hekker’s place for a brief while before leaving the game himself due to soreness in his leg, and he joked about it with Hekker on Twitter afterwards.

After Kupp left, it was up to John Wolford to hold for the rest of the kick attempts. It’s unclear if Hekker’s absence played a role in the kickers’ struggles, but none of the three really stood out in a big way. Austin MacGinnins had the best day, going 6-for-8, while Lirim Hajrullahu and Sam Sloman each made five of their eight attempts.

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Sean McVay refutes report that Cooper Kupp has sprained ankle

Sean McVay called Ian Rapoport’s report “inaccurate.”

Cooper Kupp left Saturday’s scrimmage early, but after the game, Sean McVay said his early removal was not injury-related. He didn’t give a reason for Kupp being pulled before the end of the scrimmage, but on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shed a little light on the situation.

He reported that Kupp suffered a minor ankle injury, though there was really no concern for his Week 1 availability. McVay hopped on a Zoom call with reporters Monday and immediately refuted that report when asked about Kupp’s status.

He called Rapoport’s statement “inaccurate” and that Kupp doesn’t have a sprained ankle, only some soreness in his leg that popped up before the scrimmage. Once again, there’s no concern about his availability for the season opener against Dallas.

Kupp is poised for another big season in 2020 with Brandin Cooks out of the picture, sharing the bulk of the targets with Robert Woods. Assuming he can stay healthy, 1,100 yards and double-digit touchdowns is not out of the question for the fourth-year receiver out of Eastern Washington.

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Report: Cooper Kupp suffered minor ankle injury in scrimage

The injury is not serious and won’t keep Kupp out of Week 1.

Cooper Kupp missed part of Saturday afternoon’s scrimmage at SoFi Stadium, but Sean McVay said it wasn’t due to an injury. He claimed the Rams were just being smart with their wide receiver, giving no reason to panic.

There’s still no reason to worry, but Kupp does indeed have an injury, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Kupp suffered a minor ankle injury in the scrimmage and is not expected to practice much in practice this week, if at all. It’s a low-ankle sprain, which is better than a high-ankle injury, and Rapoport doesn’t expect it to affect his availability for Week 1.

If the Rams were playing a game this coming weekend, Kupp would be playing.

Although this doesn’t seem like anything to worry about, it is interesting that McVay said Kupp didn’t suffer an injury. He could’ve very easily said Kupp tweaked his ankle but it’s not believed to be serious, rather than saying he was pulled for a non-injury reason.

Assuming Kupp does miss practice time, rookie Van Jefferson and possibly Nsimba Webster could get more time with the first-team offense, along with Josh Reynolds and Robert Woods.