The LA Chargers' 17-15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football in Week 7 made one thing abundantly clear: Los Angeles needs to add wide receiver help if the team is at all serious about contending for a playoff spot.
Justin Herbert put together his best game of the year throwing to one of the most underwhelming receiving corps in the league. Herbert and the Chargers were unable to find the endzone in large part due to the lack of dynamic pass-catching weapons.
With the trade deadline right around the corner and general manager Joe Hortiz's activeness on the trade market, fans are half expecting a wide receiver addition in the near future. If the Chargers are going to take a swing the team might as well swing big and could do so by adding a former All-Pro from the NFL's other Los Angeles team.
Sleeper team for Kupp: Chargers
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) October 22, 2024
They need WR help bad and Kupp can stay home
Cooper Kupp would be the home run swing the Chargers need
If the Chargers actually have a chance to trade for Cooper Kupp, who plays on a Los Angeles Rams team that might be ready to tear things down, then Hortiz has to jump at the opportunity.
According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, the Rams have spoken to teams about a Kupp trade and the cost to trade for him may not be as high as some think. The Rams are reportedly only asking for a second-round pick and are willing to take on salary to make a deal happen.
A second-round pick is not cheap, but it should not be a conversation-ender for the Bolts. As valuable as second-round picks are, it would be worth it for this team to trade a pick the team hopes is in the 50s to have an instant fix for the wide receiver room.
Kupp would also set the baseline for the Chargers' wide receiver room moving forward. The former All-Pro is under contract for another two seasons, giving the Bolts a true WR1 in that time.
Granted, there are concerns about how Kupp will age in his 30s and whether or not he can stay healthy. Those are valid concerns that may keep many teams from being interested. However., this presents an opportunity for the Chargers to right a previous wrong (trading Keenan Allen) now that the team can afford to do so.
The Chargers can afford Kupp's cap hits in each year of his contract, especially if the Rams are taking on salary. With there not being any other real WR1 options available in the next few seasons, this might be the most cost-effective way to add a top receiver, even with it costing a second-round pick.
The alternative would be paying an upper-mid-tier wide receiver as if they were a top-tier receiver in free agency next spring like the Jacksonville Jaguars did with Christian Kirk all those years ago. That decision hasn't really worked for Jacksonville, and it probably wouldn't work for the Chargers, either.
Instead, the team could add someone who could completely revolutionize the offense for a pick that is not even guaranteed to be a success in the NFL. This feels like a risk worth taking.