Kelly Stafford, the wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, is not a fan of the team’s decision to trade star wide receiver Cooper Kupp and is hinting at Stafford at potentially leaving Los Angeles.
“My husband wants to win. He’s not trying to put his team in a bad situation,” Kelly Stafford said on her podcast The Morning After.
She continued: “I will say the trading away of Cooper, I guess I’m just a little, I’m confused. Because we were one play away from going to the NFC Championship, and I think if we go, we win.”
tafford previously addressed Kupp’s pending departure in a Wednesday interview with CBS Sports.
“It’s tough. I’ve been around long enough to know that anything is possible, but Cooper’s been a pillar of this organization and this community for a long time, since he got drafted here,” Stafford said (4:00 of the video below.)
Stafford continued: “Probably spent more time with Cooper Kupp than any other teammate I’ve ever had… I’ll miss him not being on the same team.”
The Rams advanced to the Divisional Round this winter before falling short in a 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
This time it was not Kupp serving as Stafford’s top target but rather Puka Nacua, who led the Rams with 79 catches for 990 yards during his second NFL season.
Kupp signed a three-year extension worth up to $80 million after he led the NFL with 145 receptions during the 2021 season.
There is only $5 million in guaranteed money remaining on that deal, but the current structure of the contract carries cap hits of more than $27 million in both 2025 and 2026, per Spotrac.
With Nacua serving as the team’s top receiver, the Rams would have likely needed to restructure that contract in order to retain Kupp. Any team trading for Kupp will likely do the same.
That could mean a decision regarding Stafford’s future with the team will take place within the next month. Head coach Sean McVay said in January he would like to resolve Stafford’s contract situation “sooner than later.”
