The recent sports trade frenzy continued into Monday evening as Cooper Kupp revealed the LA Rams are looking to trade him this offseason. With a noticeable need at the position, the LA Chargers instantly emerged as a potential landing spot for the former All-Pro.
After all, a Kupp trade for the Chargers seems to make all the sense in the world on paper. Los Angeles could add a proven supplementary wideout alongside Ladd McConkey and Kupp would get to stay in Los Angeles to compete for a Super Bowl.
So what would a trade look like for the Bolts? Well, using a very familiar trade from just an offseason ago, Chargers fans should have an idea.
Chargers could repeat Keenan Allen trade but to acquire Cooper Kupp
Rams fans should be prepared to be disappointed by the return the team is going to get for trading Kupp this offseason. On the surface, one would think Kupp would warrant a serviceable return considering the massive heights he has reached in the league.
But that is not how NFL trades work.
If anything, Kupp's value is going to be similar to that of Keenan Allen's a year ago. The Chargers traded Allen to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Here, the Chargers would theoretically be trading a fourth and a sixth for Kupp's services.
Age matters a whole lot in these conversations and Kupp is going to be 32 years old next season, which is the same age Allen was for the 2024 season. The financial situation also matters and just like Allen a year ago, Kupp carries with him a sizeable cap hit that not many teams are going to want to absorb.
Those factors lower Kupp's trade value. There may be slightly more value in the fact Kupp has two more years on his deal whereas Allen was an expiring contract but that is negated by Kupp's recent performance.
Allen was coming off a career year when he was traded and he still only warranted a fourth-round pick. Kupp is coming off his third straight sub-1,000-yard season in which injuries hindered his production and his playing time.
All of these factors naturally lower Kupp's trade value but they also represents risks in trading for him. The idealistic version of Kupp would be a great addition to the Chargers and would fill the void the team has. But the real world isn't idealistic, and there is inherent risk involved in relying on Kupp to fill that void.
Is that risk worth the cheap trade cost? That is for the Chargers to determine. But with ample cap space, and a cheap trade cost to go with it, the Bolts absolutely can pull off a Kupp trade is they are motivated to do so.