Why the Pittsburgh Steelers Shouldn’t Trade for WR Cooper Kupp
Photo via NFL+
On Monday, the Los Angeles Rams informed Cooper Kupp that they will be seeking to trade the receiver immediately, sparking speculation among Steelers fans that our squad figures to be heavily involved in those trade talks. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. In my latest post, I briefly mentioned that the Steelers will likely make their presence felt in every single trade discussion that involves a receiver this offseason. Cooper Kupp is just the first casualty.
No doubt, Kupp still has some good ball left in him. Despite missing 5 games, Kupp finished the 2024 season with 710 yards on 67 catches, and added 6 touchdowns. Given the emergence of Puka Nacua, and the depth in the Rams’ WR room, it’s a testament to Kupp’s ability as a player, and McVay’s ability as a coach, that he was still able to put up those kinds of numbers having only played in 12 games this past season. With that being said, the 2024 season marks the 3rd year in a row that Kupp has missed at least 5 games with an injury. The last time he played a full season, he fell just 17 yards short of the single season receiving yards record. A ton of that has to do with circumstance; an elite offensive mind at head coach in Sean McVay, and a high-volume, accurate passer in Matthew Stafford who, coincidentally, was the same guy throwing Calvin Johnson the ball when he set the single season receiving yards record back in 2012. In lieu of those favorable circumstances, Kupp has been one of the most consistent receivers in the league when he’s on the field. So why would I title this post: ‘Why the Pittsburgh Steelers Shouldn’t Trade for WR Cooper Kupp’?
Kupp’s injury history is something that can’t be ignored; especially considering the fact that he will be 32 years old when the 2025 season kicks off. The 2024 season is the third year in a row that right ankle has given him problems. Granted, he returned in week 8 from the ankle sprain and didn’t seem to miss a beat, gathering 5 catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. There’s nothing about his play in the back half of the year that suggests that his ankle is something to be overly concerned about, but it certainly gives me cause to pause as a fan.
The injury history is one thing, but I think Cooper Kupp’s contract, as presently constructed, is probably the biggest reason why I wouldn’t want to see the Steelers pursue this trade. Kupp is due $20M in 2025 that includes a $7.5M roster bonus and a $12.5M base salary. There’s a lot of speculation that in a potential trade with any given suitor, the Ram’s might take on his roster bonus, which means his services could be had in the coming season for $12.5M, which sounds pretty nice. However, he is under contract through the 2026 season, when he will be 33 years old, and due $19.85M. That’s going to be a hard pass from me.
Ya know, it’s funny….I did a free agent wish list, and I’m so glad I said in that post that the list is fluid and certainly not final, because I’ve backtracked a bit on the idea of bringing in WR Chris Godwin, who’s coming off a major injury and will be 29 at the start of the season. I want to make sure I’m being totally clear when I’m talking about both Cooper Kupp and Chris Gowdin: they are both stellar receivers that would instantly make the Steelers better. I just don’t know if we need to be shelling out upwards of $20M/year for either one of those guys when no one can say with confidence that they’ll be able to put together a full 16 or 17-game campaign in 2025.
I spent some time watching Cooper Kupp’s film from the 2024 season, and the play above is probably the best route I saw from him that resulted in a catch in the entire season. He really sells the shit out of that go route and comes back hard, forcing the Dolphins’ DB to spin towards the sideline, and giving Kupp a ton of separation to make the grab. Kupp is probably well above the league average in separation, but he does most of his damage sitting into zone coverages. He wasn’t exactly a man beater in 2024, but I thought the play above showed that he still has the ability to make things happen as a route runner.
This play from the Ram’s first game of the year, in Detroit, also stood out to me in reviewing Kupp’s 2024 season. First off, the all-22 sideline angle doesn’t do the catch justice in terms of the degree of difficulty. That’s some insane, Antonio-Brown-level concentration along the sideline to make the grab and get both feet down. Kupp had a sideline grab that was similar in difficulty to this one in week 9 in Seattle. The Detroit catch is impressive, but what the all-22 doesn’t show you is the situation. This catch happened with 5:40 left in the 4th quarter with the Rams down 17-13. About a minute later, Cooper Kupp would catch a TD pass to give the Rams the lead with just over 4 minutes left in this game. I bring that up to say it says a lot about what the Rams think of Cooper Kupp that in the biggest moment(s) against an NFC foe that is competing for Super Bowls, he’s the guy that the Rams leaned on to make plays. Also, just a smart route by Kupp. He knew where the hole(s) in the zones would be, and he took his route deep enough to get to one of the holes and make a big play.
This past season, Cooper Kupp often looked like he was taking a ‘work-smarter-rather-than-harder’ approach to his game. He really shredded up zone defenses all season long (when he was on the field, of course). He showed sure hands on third and fourth downs, but often showed a lack of awareness of the sticks, and kinda went down a lot of times, when I thought he could’ve fought a little harder for that extra yard or two for a first down. At $20M/year, I just expect my guy to finish the play in those scenarios. Kupp isn’t the most explosive guy in the world, and doesn’t really make guys miss in space, but he runs extremely patiently when he has blockers, and has the ability to play all over the formation. In fact, he traveled more yards in motions than any other receiver in the league by a wide margin. I think he’s good enough that somebody will be willing to take a risk on his contract without restructuring…I just hope that team isn’t the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If we’re going to spend that many assets on acquiring a receiver, then why not shoot for the stars and go trade for a guy like Garrett Wilson, or sign Tee Higgins? And, every NFL draft analyst has some version of a mock draft out or coming out where the Steelers select Emeka Egbuka in the draft, who figures to make an immediate impact wherever he ends up in the NFL. I just think, as we attempt to build this dinosaur offense into something that doesn’t make me want to cry, the least we can do is be mindful of bringing in YOUTHFUL talent to build around.
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