New Orleans Saints great Drew Brees isn’t surprised that the Los Angeles Rams are moving on from Cooper Kupp.
Kupp was the Super Bowl LVI MVP after catching eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning grab. However, the Rams have decided to shop the 31-year-old on the trade block as they move in a different direction.
Brees played 20 years in the NFL and is a part of the same generation as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Both all-time great quarterbacks didn’t finish their careers with their original teams despite historic tenures. Brees himself played for two teams, spending five seasons with the San Diego Chargers before moving on to the Saints in 2006.
He knows better than anybody that the NFL is a business no matter how great a player is.
“I don’t think anything surprises me anymore,” Brees told The Sports Daily in an exclusive interview on behalf of Sports Illustrated Tickets. “Everybody has their reasons, and at times, when it comes to guys being in a place for a long period of time, it’s just time for something different. I think that goes for both sides.
“Who knows what the conversations were behind closed doors,” Brees continues to say. “Cooper Kupp has been a phenomenal player for a really long time and been a huge contributor to the Ram. At the same time at some point that has to end, and regardless of whose decision it is or if it’s mutual, teams and players come together and it’s like, ‘Hey, it’s time for a fresh start elsewhere. It’s time for us to move on.’”
Outside of Kupp’s age, nagging injuries and declining production — he just finished his third consecutive season under 900 yards — the reality is the Rams found a new No. 1 wide receiver in Puka Nacua, a second-year player who was a fifth-round draft pick. When factoring in that Kupp sees him earn nearly $30 million this season and $27.3 million next season as the 10th-highest paid receiver in the league, it seems it’s time to move on for the Rams.
”The Rams I think have proven that they can draft well and they can identify diamonds in the rough.” says Brees. “Cooper Kupp was not a highly recruited guy. Puka Nacua was not — he was a mid-round guy. Kyren Williams, mid-round guy. All of a sudden you’ve drafted all these Pro Bowl, All-Pro guys in the mid round. In their mind, they’re thinking, ‘Man, we’ll go out and find some other guys that we can grow, we can develop, put with Matthew Stafford, put in this offense, and we’ll make them great players.’
“I’m sure that’s the way they look at it,” Brees continues to say.
Brees: ‘I Wouldn’t Expect’ Matthew Stafford to Leave The Rams This Offseason
While the decision has been made on Kupp’s future, a decision has yet to be made on Matthew Stafford’s future in Los Angeles. The Super Bowl champion quarterback faces an uncertain future due to his massive cap number. However, the Rams do have a “strong interest” in bringing back the 37-year-old quarterback, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Brees doesn’t believe Kupp’s departure will have an impact on whether or not Stafford returns to Los Angeles. The two are good friends, with Stafford mentioning during a recent one-on-one interview that the two had dinner together around the time the Rams informed Kupp they were moving on.
”I don’t think so,” says Brees if Kupp’s departure will impact Stafford’s future. “The feeling I get is that Stafford and Sean McVay work really, really well together. That offense is a great fit for him. He’s the type of quarterback that can make everyone around him better.”
The 46-year-old ex-quarterback doesn’t expect the Rams to move on from Stafford and anticipates both sides will eventually come to a resolution.
“ I wouldn’t expect that,” says Brees on if the Rams will move on from Stafford. “Again, the relationship between coach and quarterback — Stafford is obviously a Super Bowl champion, elite player. Still has great years left there. You have to have an elite QB to win in this league. You’ve got weapons, and you’ll continue to go get weapons.
“They’re a playoff team,” Brees continues to say. “They had a chance to go beat Philly. They were a drive away to win the game at the end. You’re just a piece away. But you need the quarterback.”
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