On the day the Los Angeles Rams welcomed wide receiver Puka Nacua back to practice, news about the possibility of trading Cooper Kupp started circulating.
Kupp did not confirm if the Rams had contacted him or his representatives after several reports indicated that trade discussions have happened.
“It is that time of the year, there’s going to be rumors. I let that stuff, as much as I can, be in the background,” Kupp said.
Kupp, who was the Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Pro in 2021 when he helped the Rams win the Super Bowl, said his main focus is getting back on the field after missing four games due to an ankle injury he suffered in Week 2 against Arizona.
“I have a job to do here, and I take a lot of pride in giving everything I can for the guys in this building in being able to step on the field knowing I have prepared the best I can,” he said.
“And for 7 1/2 years, I’ve been an LA Ram, and I have taken that approach every single day. Whatever happens outside of that, I got to control what I can control. Right now, that means being the best LA Ram I can be.”
When healthy, Kupp has been one of the NFL’s top receivers and a key part of coach Sean McVay’s offense. However, he has played in only 23 out of 40 possible games over the past two seasons due to ankle and hamstring injuries.
Kupp, who also tore his ACL in 2018, has 18 catches for 147 yards and one touchdown in two games this season.
The Rams (2-4) are getting ready for a Thursday night home game against Minnesota that could impact their chances of staying in the playoff race, so discussing a potential move for Kupp would be timely.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford said he isn’t concerned about the trade rumors.
“Obviously, I’m a fan of the league, so you hear those things,” Stafford said. “But to be honest, we’re pro athletes, professional football players who have kind of dealt with this stuff before, understand it comes with the territory.
Don’t put much into it because that’s a disservice to what we got going on here. We’ve got a short week and a really good opponent to try to prepare for, so that’s our full focus. I know that’s where he stays too, so (we) don’t worry too much about that stuff.”
Kupp is ready to take on a full workload against the Vikings, but he knows that decision is up to coach McVay, wide receivers coach Eric Yarber, and the Rams’ medical staff. He was able to practice last week and prepared as if he would play until he was ruled inactive for Sunday’s 20-15 win over Las Vegas.
With a short week before the game against the Vikings and no formal practices leading up to it, Kupp used the extra time to get ready for game action.
“I thought he was looking pretty good,” Stafford said. “I kind of lean on him when it comes to that stuff, ‘Hey, how do you feel,’ because he always looks pretty good to me.”
Nacua began his return from injured reserve when the Rams activated his 21-day window to practice on Tuesday. He was a limited participant in the walkthrough, marking his first on-field work since re-injuring his knee from training camp in the season opener at Detroit on Sept. 8.
Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was happy to see Nacua back but didn’t want to guess about the chances of him playing against Minnesota.
“Way to be determined right now,” LaFleur said. “He hasn’t done anything full speed in forever so, you know, we’ll have to determine that.”
Nacua had four catches for 35 yards against the Lions. Last season, he set NFL rookie records with 105 receptions and 1,486 yards, taking advantage of Kupp’s hamstring injury in training camp to show he could be the Rams’ top passing threat and potentially make Kupp less essential.
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