Rams WR Cooper Kupp not looking to be top-paid wideout
Send a link to a friend
[April 20, 2022]
Cooper Kupp may have been the most productive receiver in the NFL
last season, but he says he isn't looking to be the highest paid.
The Super Bowl MVP is in the midst of contract extension
negotiations with the
Los Angeles Rams at a time in which the receiver market has
exploded.
Davante Adams set a new high with a contract averaging $28.5 million
per
season when the Las Vegas Raiders acquired him from the Green Bay
Packers in mid-March. Less than a week later, Tyreek Hill topped
that with a $30 million average after he was traded by the Kansas
City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins.
Kupp is slated to make $14.875 million this season and $14.625
million in
2023. He likes seeing the big deals around the NFL but said it isn't
important to him to be at the top of the money list.
"I don't think that's really kind of the approach that I take," Kupp
told
reporters Tuesday after a voluntary team workout. "I definitely
think there's
a place you want to be. There's a place that you feel like is fair.
A place
for me and for this organization.
"I'm not trying to beat anybody. I'm not trying to compare myself to
anyone
else. It's more about being in a place that's just right for both
sides."
Kupp is in line for a big raise after putting together one of the
top
receiving seasons in NFL history.
[to top of second column] |
The 28-year-old Kupp became the fourth player since
the AFL-NFL merger to win
the receiving triple crown, leading the league in receptions (145),
receiving
yardage (1,947) and touchdown catches (16). The others are the San
Francisco
49ers' Jerry Rice in 1990, the Green Bay Packers' Sterling Sharpe in
1992 and
the Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith in 2005.
Kupp also caught two touchdowns in the Super Bowl, the latter one
for the
winning score with 1:25 to play as the Rams defeated the Cincinnati
Bengals
23-20.
Kupp has 433 receptions for 5,517 yards and 40 touchdowns in 71
regular-season
games (57 starts) over five seasons.
Los Angeles coach Sean McVay said the organization has had "good
dialogue" with both Kupp and star defensive tackle Aaron Donald in
terms of getting extensions done.
Also, quarterback Matthew Stafford said his throwing arm is feeling
good.
Stafford reportedly had an anti-inflammatory shot earlier in the
offseason.
--Field Level Media
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|