Current Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp raised eyebrows when he said that he didn’t have “a ton of clarity” from the Los Angeles Rams regarding why the team released him in March.
While speaking with reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday, Rams head coach Sean McVay responded to Kupp’s comments.
“I think we do (feel we provided clarity),” McVay said, as shared by Jourdan Rodrigue and Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “Here’s the thing…there’s an element of, there was clarity (about) ‘this is the direction that we’re gonna go.’ Now, to be able to provide all the context — we didn’t have all of the context that was applicable in regards to…what did we really envision that receiver room (looking like)? We thought Davante Adams would be a possibility.”
Analysts and reporters praised the Rams for essentially replacing Kupp with Adams. Adams tallied 85 total receptions, 1,063 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns playing for the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets this past season. Meanwhile, injuries limited Kupp to 33 regular-season games over the past three campaigns.
“I think the most important thing was when we had made the decision that we were gonna seek a trade or at least grant him his release, that was very quickly after the season, which I thought he deserved that clarity in regard to the direction we were going,” McVay continued. “Now, exactly why all those things occurred, there had to be a little bit of time to be able to provide the appropriate context. That wasn’t applicable in the moment.”
Kupp made it known in February that he didn’t “agree” with the Rams’ decision to try to trade him before his release. He had played only for Los Angeles from when the club made him a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft through the 2024 season, and he was named the Super Bowl LVI Most Valuable Player for his efforts in helping the Rams earn a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in February 2022.
Kupp ultimately signed a three-year, $45M deal with the Seahawks a few days after his release from the Rams.
“It doesn’t change the legacy, all the great things (and) more importantly, the great person that he is,” McVay added. “But we do have a responsibility to the collective, and it was what we felt like was the best decision for our football team moving forward. Not easy. But that’s what our responsibility is.”
