{"id":239187,"date":"2025-07-13T12:00:43","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T16:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=239187"},"modified":"2025-07-13T00:34:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T04:34:23","slug":"cooper-kupp-to-davante-adams-rams-pickup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/07\/13\/cooper-kupp-to-davante-adams-rams-pickup\/","title":{"rendered":"From Cooper Kupp to Davante Adams: The Rams\u2019 Necessary WR Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"

The days of Cooper Kupp<\/a> have come to an end in Los Angeles\u2014and while one chapter closes, another opens with free agent signing Davante Adams<\/a>, whose own prowess could earn the Rams<\/a> a quicker path to reclaiming their Super Bowl aspirations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Rams are Turning the Page\u2014from Kupp\u2019s Legacy to Adams\u2019 Spotlight<\/h2>\n

Kupp\u2019s L.A. Beginnings<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Los Angeles Rams selected Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp in 2017, just one year after they relocated from St. Louis. He was a part of head coach Sean McVay\u2019s first draft class, overachieving his third-round selection by totaling a team-high 869 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kupp\u2019s rookie stats led the team\u2019s receiving group, outmatching the likes of Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, and Tavon Austin\u2014which isn\u2019t saying much apart from McVay\u2019s own abilities to switch gears on a putrid Jared Goff<\/a>, who, in his rookie season, went an astounding 0-7, throwing just 155.6 yards per game, with a 5 to 7 touchdown\/interception rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the following year saw Goff lead an 11-5 squad, mightily improving with a season total of 3,804 passing yards and a 28 to 7 touchdown\/interception rate. Jared Goff, Todd Gurley\u202fII<\/a>, and Canton\u2011bound Aaron Donald<\/a> powered the Rams to their most successful season in 13 years, and the 204\u2011pound slot receiver from Yakima, Washington, played a key role in that achievement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Post Rams-Patriots Super Bowl<\/b><\/h3>\n

In 2018, McVay floored it. The Rams\u2019 13-3 campaign earned them a second straight division title, paving the way to a Super Bowl matchup with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots<\/a>. Unfortunately, a season\u2011ending knee injury in Week 10 sidelined Kupp, who had outperformed expectations with 70.8 receiving yards per game and 6 touchdowns. That, along with a hobbled Gurley, curbed expectations for the \u201cGreatest Show on Turf 2.0,\u201d who made for a lackluster showing at one of the most disappointing Super Bowls in league history\u2014L.A. managing a crushing 3 points on offense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the years that followed, the Rams flirted with success, only to have division rivals the San\u202fFrancisco\u202f49ers and Seattle Seahawks repeatedly dash their hopes (and that was before Russell Wilson\u2019s<\/a> nationwide cringe tour). Kupp improved, but his squad faltered. Fear of mediocrity was setting in, and while the slot receiver <\/span>seemed <\/span><\/i>to possess Pro Bowl talents, he hadn\u2019t yet gone the distance. That all changed when G.M. Les Snead and coach McVay devised a plan to rob the house blind.<\/span><\/p>\n

The story goes that after a divisional round loss to the Green Bay Packers<\/a>, McVay and his fianc\u00e9e took a much-needed vacation to Cabo San Lucas. At a resort, the couple happened to cross paths with quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly. The four got together, having a grand time throwing back umbrella-topped pi\u00f1a coladas while plotting brighter days for each of their respective careers. The scene sounds like something straight out of <\/span>Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid<\/span><\/i>\u2014two slick gunslingers planning a heist and their eventual getaway. The acquisition of Stafford, however, would prove most beneficial to Cooper Kupp.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Golden Years<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Cooper
Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp celebrates after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2021, the Rams crawled their way back to Mt. Lombardi, led by the incredible seasons of both Stafford and Kupp, who managed to collect the rare triple-crown honors with 1,947 receiving yards, 145 receptions, and 16 touchdowns. This marked the pinnacle of Kupp\u2019s career, solidifying him as Offensive Player of the Year and the eventual Super Bowl MVP of their 2021 victory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to say what came first, the chicken or the egg. Was Kupp always destined for a season like that? Of course, Stafford enhanced whatever chances he had, but on whose terms was it? No matter the result was the single greatest season of either\u2019s career.<\/span><\/p>\n

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times<\/b><\/h3>\n

The year of the Super Bowl hangover was disappointing, but no more disappointing than Kupp\u2019s own injuries. For the next three seasons, not only did the receiver fail to meet his career highs, but he also was unable to reach past that 1,000-yard receiving mark. And while the Rams have now made a showing of rebuilding their hollowed-out roster post-2021, Kupp\u2019s only consistency has been his injuries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of the 2024 season, most in the Rams\u2019 building were forced to admit Kupp was no longer a worthwhile asset. In the rising success story of Puka Nakua<\/a>, McVay has found a qualified replacement, and in cutting the storied receiver, the franchise was able to open up cap space for additional, more reliable talent. In walks Davante Adams.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Adams Means for the Future<\/b><\/h3>\n

The signing signifies two things\u2014one of which we were already privy to. Snead will not be following the model that secured the Rams\u2019 second Lombardi trophy. It would\u2019ve been easy, even understandable, if the front office opted to wrangle in some big names at key positions. Swap picks and veterans for stars looking for a new home. But in dropping Kupp and signing Adams to a 2-year\/$46M contract, expect the Rams to keep slowly acquiring talent, testing the roster until both Snead and McVay feel that it just might be their year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second thing that this deal proves is that Stafford will remain in the building as long as he chooses. In fact, in a few years, he may be one of the only pieces left of the team\u2019s Super Bowl roster. Adams will make an already bonafide offense more dangerous. Another weapon for the quarterback may spur Stafford to a return to form. So the release of Kupp, while a sensitive topic, was a necessary move.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kupp\u2019s Ride Off Into the Sunset<\/b><\/h3>\n

Rarely does an NFL athlete get to retire with the team they were drafted by on their own accord. That storybook third act exists for the very fortunate, very exceptional few. Kupp\u2019s time in Los Angeles shouldn’t be taken for granted. What he accomplished, as the prospect he began as, is truly remarkable. And while the shallow Rams fan may have difficulty watching him perform for the Seattle Seahawks, a grateful, understanding one will have no problem seeing Kupp make an ending of his own: returning to his home state to play out his remaining years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Image: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A retrospect on Cooper Kupp to Davante Adams, highlighting the WR shift defining the Rams\u2019 next Super Bowl push.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5582,"featured_media":239617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34,54],"tags":[33071,1920,1039,7473],"class_list":["post-239187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rams","category-editorials","tag-2025-nfl-free-agency","tag-cooper-kupp","tag-davante-adams","tag-los-angeles-rams-news"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5582"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239187"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":239620,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239187\/revisions\/239620"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}