The legal tampering period will begin in one month from tomorrow, which means it is prime time across the NFL media landscape for the rumor mill. The Pittsburgh Steelers figure to be right in the middle of many of the rumors given their need for both a quarterback and a wide receiver. Those two positions happen to have plenty of buzz-worthy options on the market this time around. One of the latest is Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp, who was recently informed that he would be traded this offseason.
According to Adam Schefter, people within the league are viewing this situation to be similar to another receiver this time last year, including possible trade compensation to acquire him.
“The interesting part here is that there’s a lot of money involved,” Schefter said via ESPN’s Postseason NFL Countdown. “…The Rams are willing to pay some of that money. I think when you speak to people in the league, they see Keenan Allen go last year for a fourth-round pick and they believe that Cooper Kupp is in a similar situation.”
In Allen’s situation, he was due $18.1 million in base salary with a $5 million roster bonus. The Bears ended up taking on the full $23.1 million contract for the 2024 season, but only needed to give up a fourth-round pick to pry him away from the Los Angeles Chargers.
Where there is a will, there is usually a way, but our Dave Bryan broke down last week why it might be necessary to split some of the salary with the Rams in order to make a possible trade for Kupp work. Kupp is due a base salary of $12.5 million in 2025 along with a $7.5 million roster bonus. That would mean a $20 million cash and cap charge for the Steelers if they took on the full number without the Rams splitting the bill.
If they do end up splitting some of the money with the Rams, the draft pick compensation might need to go up a bit. Would the Steelers be comfortable parting ways with a third-round pick to make it happen if the Rams take on some of the salary? To me, that doesn’t make a ton of sense for a receiver soon to turn 32 years old.
All of that will come down to the number of interested teams and who is willing to take on the most amount of Cooper Kupp’s contract while giving up the most draft capital. If the Steelers aren’t willing to beat out the competition, then this is all a moot point.
