The Rams’ receiving corps was a major letdown last season. Cooper Kupp missed half the season, Allen Robinson barely had an impact before getting hurt and Van Jefferson got a late start due to two offseason knee surgeries.
What was believed to be one of the better receiver groups in the NFL wound up producing very little in Los Angeles. The Rams could make a move to improve their wideouts this offseason and DeAndre Hopkins could potentially be available via trade with a new head coach stepping in.
ESPN went through and picked the ideal fantasy football landing spot for cut and trade candidates, and for Hopkins, it was none other than the Rams. We have to emphasize the words “fantasy football” because that’s what this is all about, but it’s hard not to think about a tandem of Nuk and Kupp.
Here’s ESPN’s pitch for Hopkins, believing the Rams would be the best team to maximize his production in fantasy football next season.
The Rams are on the hook for Allen Robinson II‘s contract through 2024. Given his underwhelming transition from Chicago, however, the Rams could try to make a play for a more proven vet with Super Bowl aspirations.
Hopkins has been minted as a rebound king, hushing doubters when he changed teams in 2020 and naysayers who thought he might be rusty entering Week 7 of 2022. Nuk could thrive as a physical outside presence, complementing Cooper Kupp in the slot. He might not make it through the season without an injury, but he’d be good for upward of eight looks per game until then.
There’s a very, very slim chance the Rams acquire Hopkins this offseason. Not only would the Cardinals be reluctant to deal a star in the division – we saw how that worked out with the Lions and T.J. Hockenson – but the cost to land him would be massive.
Not to mention, he has two years left on his deal with cap hits of $30.75 million and $26.22 million. The Rams wouldn’t be on the hook for all of that in a potential trade, but he wouldn’t come cheap.
And that’s without mentioning the trade cost, which would likely be a first-round pick and certainly at least a second. The Rams have so many roster holes to fill that it probably wouldn’t be wise to trade some of their most valuable draft capital for a star receiver.
Robinson’s situation makes it even more unlikely. The Rams could cut him after June 1, but they would only break even and not actually free up any money. In other words, it’d cost them the same to cut him as it would to keep him.
All this is to say how fun it would be to see Hopkins lining up with Kupp, but also how unlikely it is to happen.
