Rams GM gives honest update on star player’s future

It appears that it’s just a matter of time before one of the most beloved athletes in Los Angeles is shipped out of town.

When speaking to reporters on Wednesday, L.A. Rams General Manager Les Snead was honest when asked about the future of wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

Snead said Kupp, 31, returning to the team was the “least likely” scenario that could occur this offseason. That’s because he’s due about $30 million in the upcoming season.

Kupp said last month that he disagreed with the team’s decision to part ways. He and the Rams have said that all parties are working to find the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year a new home where he can compete for championships.

“I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA,” Kupp wrote. “Still, if there’s one thing that I have learned over the years: there are so many things that are out of your control, but it is how you respond to these things that you will look back on and remember.”

Kupp was drafted by Snead and the Rams in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Eastern Washington University. He was solid for the first four years of his career before exploding in 2021, when the Rams traded for quarterback Matthew Stafford, setting the stage for one of the greatest seasons of all time for a wide receiver.

In that season, he caught 145 passes for 1,947 yards. Both statistics are the second-most each in a season in NFL history.

He also caught 16 touchdowns, most in the league that season, earning him the receiving triple crown.

He achieved that en route to a Super Bowl LVI win over the Cincinnati Bengals, where Kupp won Super Bowl MVP.

Since that magical year, however, Kupp has struggled with injuries. He hasn’t played in more than 12 games in a regular season since 2021.