The Rams are zeroing in on an another big extension. The organization has made “significant progress” on a new deal with star wideout Cooper Kupp, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). While the deal hasn’t been signed, Rapoport suggests that the deal could be finalized as soon as this evening (via Twitter).
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While terms haven’t been reported, Rapoport seems to suggest that it will be a three-year pact. The monetary terms remain to be seen, but Rapoport adds that the deal would place Kupp “among” the highest-paid receivers in the NFL, so the AAV would likely be north of $20MM per year. Rapoport says Kupp could even make north of $25MM AAV, putting the projected extension in the range of 3/$75MM.
The Rams’ offseason priorities obviously included the draft and free agency, but once they finished making additions to their squad, the organization pivoted to their current stars. A report from March indicated that the front office would focus on a new deal with Aaron Donald before pivoting to a Kupp extension. It’s only been days since the team finally agreed to a new deal with the star defensive tackle, but the front office has moved quickly to also pay the Super Bowl MVP.
Kupp inked a three-year, $48MM extension with the Rams in 2020, and the two remaining years would likely be tacked on to a new deal. The 28-year-old receiver set himself up for an even bigger payday following a prolific 2021 campaign. Kupp achieved NFL’s receiving Triple Crown after leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16), resulting in him earning a long list of accolades (including Offensive Player of the Year). Kupp followed up his remarkable regular season with an even more memorable postseason, hauling in six touchdowns in four games en route to a Super Bowl championship (and the Super Bowl MVP).
The player’s emergence as one of the league’s top players naturally brought up conversations about a new contract, and there were some who questioned if the increasingly expensive Rams would be able to carve out enough money to sign the wideout to a deal that rivaled some of the lucrative WR contracts (including Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams). However, Kupp made it clear that he wasn’t necessarily looking to reset the market with an extension, and his willingness to take a slight discount likely led to easier negotiations.
The guys a class act. Didn’t HAVE to have the biggest WR contract but will get a substantial bump. And he got it as well as a shot at another title, all without throwing a media tantrum.