The Los Angeles Rams Have A Decision To Make On Cooper Kupp

The Los Angeles toboggan into the offseason, with their cup far from full.

An anticipated deep run in the playoffs came to an abrupt halt after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-22, in the NFC’s divisional round.

The question now is will All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp be wearing horns when the curtain rises on the 2025 campaign?

Kupp’s production hasn’t lined up with his compensation of late. And he heard, like everyone else, that the Rams were willing to move him prior to last season’s trading deadline.

It’s clear Kupp is more than dead weight as he remains the team’s No. 1 receiver, in theory anyway. But injuries over the past three years have cut into his playing time and statistics, combined with the growth of Puka Nacua.

Still, Kupp is being paid like a No. 1 receiver and that could be problematic as general manager Les Snead starts constructing next year’s roster while tiptoeing around the salary cap.

Kupp earned his three-year, $80.1 million extension, with $75 million in guarantees, when being the NFL’s offensive player of the year during the 2021 season when he won the triple crown of receiving and the Rams won Super Bowl LVI.

The game’s MVP when the Rams brought their first NFL title to L.A.?

None other than Kupp, as he caught two touchdown passes.

But memories only mean so much. What’s telling and more relevant is Kupp’s numbers down the stretch of an unlikely Rams season in which they started 1-4, but nearly rallied to earn a spot in the NFC title game.

In Kupp’s final three regular-season games, he had four receptions. In L.A.’s conquest of the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round, Kupp had one.

In what might have been Kupp’s farewell performance in a Rams uniform on Sunday, he had five catches for 61 yards.

That hardly lines up with his hit on the team’s salary cap the next two seasons. In ‘25, he’s at $29.7 million and it’s $27.3 million in the pact’s last year, according to Spotrac.

Kupp wants to return, and of course, the Rams would embrace him.

But not at the price he currently commands.

“Obviously, I would love to be in L.A.,’’ Kupp told reporters on Monday. “But I don’t know what that’s going to look like.”

The Rams have options and Kupp might be forced to select one of them.

He could agree to a restructure his deal to become more cap compliant in a season in which he will turn 32.

Or L.A. could peddle one of the pillars of its championship season.

“I feel like I have a lot of good football left, so I definitely will be playing,’’ said Kupp, who’s also among the team’s leaders and is well-respected in the locker room. “I will be playing football next year, so that much I know.’’

Kupp could learn his fate around St. Patrick’s Day. He’s scheduled to earn a roster bonus from L.A. of $7.5 million on March 19.

Has Kupp’s luck, and run, with the Rams reached the finish line?

“Who knows what is going to happen?’’ Kupp said. “A lot of that stuff is out of my control.’’

The sure-handed, pass-catcher’s fate is in someone else’s hands. The Rams will squeeze the numbers, which might leave their cupboard bare of Kupp in ‘25.