A day after a snowy season-ending loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the future for some of the Los Angeles Rams' brightest stars is quite cloudy.
Joining his quarterback Matthew Stafford in that uncertain conversation is wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Three years removed from winning the receiving triple crown and the Super Bowl MVP, the 31-year-old Kupp plans to play next season, but isn't sure if it'll be back in L.A.
"I feel like I've got a lot of good football left in me," Kupp said Monday in the Rams' final open locker room availability of the season, via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. "I'll be playing football next year. That much I know."
Kupp has two seasons remaining on his current contract with the Rams, due a $12.5 million base salary in 2025 with $5 million guaranteed. A pre-June 1 cut of Kupp would save the team $7.52 million on the salary cap. He signed his current deal in 2022, following the Rams' Super Bowl run.
During this past season, Kupp's name was also bandied about in trade talks.
"I got to control what I can control," Kupp said back in October of the rumors and reports.
He offered much of the same take on Monday.
"Who knows what's going to happen," Kupp said. "That's out of my control. And we will see what it's going to be. ... I don't have any clarity on what that's going to look like or anything like that. So yeah, obviously would love to be in L.A., but I don't know what that's going to look like."
When Kupp and Co. defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, the wideout was on top of the world, having turned in an astounding regular season that was followed by a stupendous postseason. That success came in Kupp's first season with Stafford.
Now, both have precarious futures.
Stafford made it clear he still has plenty left in the tank after Sunday’s loss with an unclear horizon lying ahead.
For Kupp, his future is foggy thanks to finances and injuries.
Since the Super Bowl triumph, Kupp has struggled to stay on the field and, as of late, struggled to stay in L.A.'s offensive narrative.
Out of a possible 51 games from 2022-2024, Kupp has played in only 33 games. That includes missing five this past season due to an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Puka Nacua has emerged as the team's unquestioned No. 1 receiver over the past two seasons.
Against the Eagles on Sunday, Kupp had five receptions off seven targets for 61 yards.
In the four previous games, Kupp had five catches combined on 10 targets for 82 yards.
Kupp's 2024 regular-season tally read 67 catches for 710 yards for six touchdowns.
Will those be his final numbers with the Rams? That's an L.A. story for the offseason ahead.
