The Los Angeles Rams front office has had a busy week trying to lock down their core of star players long-term before the team takes the field for their Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, which also marks the beginning of a new era at SoFi Stadium.
To no surprise, the first player to sign an extension was Jalen Ramsey as the organization made it clear that was the plan when they gave up two first-round picks to acquire him for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.
After the Ramsey deal got done, the focus then shifted to star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract.
While there wasn’t a lot of time to get a deal done before the start of the season, L.A. and Kupp were able to do so as the Rams announced that he has signed a three-year extension to keep him around through the 2023 season.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the extension is worth $48 million:
The #Rams and WR Cooper Kupp have reached an agreement on a 3-year contract extension worth up to $48M, per me and @MikeGarafolo. Los Angeles has done work the last few days, with Jalen Ramsey going first and now Kupp. Time for football.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 12, 2020
The new deal is well-deserved for Kupp, who the Rams drafted in the third round in 2017 out of Eastern Washington.
Kupp was in the midst of a breakout year in 2018 before going down with a season-ending ACL injury. Many thought he wouldn’t be able to return to that form coming off the injury in 2019, but he was able to do that and then some for the Rams.
Last season, Kupp played in all 16 games for the first time in his career, posting career-highs across the board in catches (94), receiving yards (1,161) and touchdowns (10).
With the departure of Brandin Cooks this offseason, the Rams may be relying on Kupp even more in the passing game, along with Robert Woods, of course.
By getting deals done with both Ramsey and Kupp before the start of the season, the Rams do not have to worry about two of their star players being unhappy. Additionally, the focus can now shift to the field and a tough Cowboys team that they will be looking to get revenge on after losing to them in Dallas last season.
