Whether it’s been the NBA or NFL, the internet has been on fire the last few days with trade rumors related to some of their biggest stars. And in some cases, there were no rumors at all, and people were wondering if reporters were hacked.
On Monday night, no hacking speculation was needed, as Rams All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp posted on social media that Los Angeles had informed him of their intention to trade him this offseason.
Here’s what Kupp wrote in a lengthy post on X.com:
“I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships. I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA.
“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.
“I have taken so much pride in playing alongside my teammates for the LA community, so thank you for embracing my family and making this such a special place for us.
“2024 began with one of the best training camps of my career. Preparations start now for 2025. Highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come. Love you guys..
“But coming for it all.”
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – JANUARY 13: Cooper Kupp #10 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates with fans after a win over the Minnesota Vikings during the NFC Wild Card Playoff at State Farm Stadium on January 13, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Photo credit Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Given the state of the Patriots wide receiver room, New England fans and media immediately started to wonder if executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf would be a part of the bidding for the 2021 receiving triple crown winner.
With Kupp making a point to say the Rams are willing to work with him to find the best situation for him and his family, WEEI’s Courtney Cox asked her cohosts on Tuesday morning on The Greg Hill Show if the 31-year-old would want to come to New England.
“I think [Mike] Vrabel has the ability to make guys go, ‘OK, they’re serious in New England, and I wanna play for Mike Vrabel, who’s shown that he can at least get a team to a championship game,’” said WEEI Jermaine Wiggins. “I really think that’s the lore. And then you have a young guy like Drake Maye for receivers, that I think Cooper Kupp would love to play for.”
Wiggy hit on two major reasons why Kupp should want to come to New England.
Here’s my list, in no particular order:
1. Drake Maye: As Wiggy mentioned, having a young quarterback like Maye is going to be a draw for wideouts who want to make plays downfield.
While Maye wasn’t able to win a lot of ballgames during his rookie campaign, he routinely came away from each game with a handful of plays that had you wondering, ‘How the heck did he do that?’ I described him as “Mahomes-ian” on numerous occasions while writing my “Ups & Downs” columns during the season.
Sure, there were issues with turnovers. There’s no doubt about it. When you throw 10 picks in 12 starts, you can’t hide from that fact.
But what that also showed me was a quarterback willing to take risks, confident enough in his arm talent to try and make a play downfield. With the team being as devoid of talent as it was in 2024 – especially at the wide receiver position – Maye had no choice but to chuck it up at times. Had he had different pass catchers on the other end of some of these tosses, there’s a chance 10 picks would have been 6 or 7 instead. I can think of at least three interceptions off the top of my head that would have been flipped if the wide receiver had given a better effort on the play, and I bet I’d find a couple more if I went back and really broke down each play (maybe a good column idea for a slow day this summer).
Not only would a guy like Kupp have opportunities for big plays downfield with Maye, but the former Super Bowl MVP would also give Maye one of the best checkdown options in NFL history to work with. This would be a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties involved.
Foxborough, MA – November 17: New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye throws an interception late in the fourth quarter. Photo credit Barry Chin/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
2. Mike Vrabel: Keeping it with another Wiggy point for No. 2 – the Patriots newly hired head coach is someone that could attract additional big name talent.
While the history of receivers under Vrabel’s watch in Tennessee was spotty at best, he’s someone who has maintained a close relationship with former Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown.
“I’m proud of his development, his personal development, and working on himself and working on getting back to center,” Vrabel told The Greg Hill Show at Gillette Stadium one day after his introductory press conference. “He’s a passionate player, I love him to death, and I have a very, very close relationship with him.”
Last April, Brown signed a three-year extension with the Eagles worth $96 million, making him the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. The deal includes $84 million in guaranteed money, and will keep Brown in Philadelphia through the 2029 season.
So if Vrabel wants a reunion with Brown, it will also require a trade. And for a player of that caliber, it would take an absolute haul. But as player contracts continue to increase year after year, acquiring a player like Brown with term at his current salary numbers might look like a bargain sooner rather than later.
This all might sound like fantasy football to most, but with Brown publicly venting frustrations earlier this season, and with rumors of frustrations with the team surfacing last season, it would behoove Vrabel to keep his ear to the ground on this situation.
Does Brown and Kupp sound appetizing to anyone?
Yes – that means you’re giving up all sorts of draft capital, and allocating a big chunk of money to two receivers over the age of 27. But when those two receivers are Brown and Kupp, and you have more cap space than anyone else in the NFL, who cares?
And if you can do this all while Maye is on his rookie contract, that makes the prospect of this hypothetical even sweeter.
On the other side of the ball, Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is clearly still enamored with his former head coach.
Only hours after the news broke of Vrabel’s hiring in New England, Simmons was seen liking a post from a Patriots fan on social media, which read, “We need to start the Mike Vrabel era by trading for Jeffery Simmons.”
JEFFERY SIMMONS COME ON DOWN!!!! #Patriots pic.twitter.com/RGcQtcRIrD
— dom (@mcdom89) January 13, 2025
Simmons was not tagged, and the account that posted this does not have a big following. Could it have been sent to Simmons by someone? Is Simmons out here just searching him and Vrabel’s name together on social media, fantasizing about a reunion with his one-time head coach?
I don’t have those answers. What I do know is adding a 27-year-old stud next to a healthy Christian Barmore would put the Patriots defense in an entirely different tier than it is right now.
It looks like Vrabel is going to be a more effective recruiter than Mattew Judon ever was.
3. Kendrick Bourne: You probably did not expect to see that name in this piece. I don’t blame you.
Bourne had the worst season of his professional career in 2024, amassing the fewest targets (38), catches (28) and yards (305) he’s seen since his rookie season in 2017. For a player that was supposed to be a steady veteran presence on a team in desperate need of one, Bourne seemed lost at times, unable to maintain consistent playing time despite the talent at receiver being so barren.
So why does this 29-year-old matter for Cooper Kupp?
The two have remained close friends since their days playing college football together at Eastern Washington.
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 13: Wide receiver Cooper Kupp #18 of the Los Angeles Rams and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne #84 of the San Francisco 49ers exchange jerseys after the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Photo credit Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
In addition to Bourne’s social media campaign starting in January to convince his former teammate that New England would be a great fit, Kupp has spoken previously about his mentorship for Bourne back in college.
“Before our last year together, I actually sat down with him and told him straight up, ‘You are a better receiver than I am,'” Kupp told the media during Super Bowl week in February of 2022. “And if he was able to get some things in order, he was going to just take off. And I think he really did.”
After seeing Kupp’s comments on social media, Bourne responded on Twitter, “I’ll never forget, that day changed my perspective. Looked at him like, ‘u sure?’ I’m still chasing my dog! You the best tho! Thanks for being a light in my life! U boutta get that ring.”
Kupp did, indeed, go on to get that ring.
Cooper Kupp on ex-EWU teammate Kendrick Bourne:
“Before our last year together, I actually sat down with him and told him straight up, ‘You are a better receiver than I am.’ And if he was able to get some things in order, he was going to just take off. And I think he really did” pic.twitter.com/4q5No3dvfO
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) February 7, 2022
I’m sure Kupp has former teammates all over the NFL. I get it. But having a guy in New England who he was in the foxhole with well before he was a household name has to be a feather in the Patriots’ cap as they make their pitch to both Kupp and the Rams.
4. New England’s Upcoming Offensive Influence: For a team that fielded one of the worst offenses in the NFL in 2024, the Patriots are coming to the table in 2025 with a scheme that should, in theory, uniquely benefit a player like Kupp.
With Josh McDaniels returning to New England for a third stint as offensive coordinator this offseason, you have to imagine he’ll be bringing back many concepts from the “Erhardt-Perkins” offense he’s been running throughout his career. This is an offensive system that has given unprecedented success to slot receivers like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman and Troy Brown – players that without this system would not have had long, decorated careers in the NFL. At his peak, Kupp was the best version of all these players. And at 31 years old, there’s still gas left in that tank.
In addition to what McDaniels is bringing to the table, the Patriots have also hired two coaches with a background working in the “Shanahan-McVay” system – a system that, obviously, Kupp saw the highest of highs in while playing in Los Angeles. With Vrabel hiring former Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown as his passing game coordinator, as well as former Rams game management assistant John Streicher in an “Ernie Adams-like role,” it’s clear the new regime will be looking to include shades of the league’s hot offense in whatever system they plan on building in 2025.
How much of each system will be implemented is unknown at the moment. But if you were building an offense in a lab for Kupp to play in, it would include shades of both McVay’s and McDaniels’ schemes.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: Cooper Kupp #10 of the Los Angeles Rams holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL Super Bowl LVI football game at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. Photo credit Cooper Neill/Getty Images
The market for Kupp is going to be competitive. There will be multiple teams at the “win-now” level who will be interested in his services. Why wouldn’t they be?
But with the unique ingredients the Patriots have to work with, they could surprisingly leapfrog other teams in the sweepstakes.
Start building that pitch deck, Wolf! Get this done!
