Report: Rams inform Cooper Kupp he will be released

A trade of wide receiver Cooper Kupp always seemed unlikely and the Rams have reportedly stopped looking for a team to take the veteran off their hands.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Rams have informed Kupp that he will be released on Wednesday. The new league year starts at 4 p.m. ET, so no trade could have been officially processed until this afternoon.

Waiting until the start of the league year to release Kupp also allows the Rams to designate him as a post-June 1 cut. Doing so would clear $15 million in cap space later this year while passing on the designation would leave $22.26 million in dead money and clear $7.52 million in cap space.

Kupp was a 2017 third-round pick and he caught 634 passes for 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns over the course of his time in Los Angeles. He was the offensive player of the year in 2021 and won Super Bowl LVI MVP when the Rams beat the Bengals at the end of that season.

Once he's officially cut, Kupp will be free to sign with any team. The Rams have already agreed to terms with Davante Adams to join Puka Nacua in their reworked receiver corps.