Puka Nacua was going viral on Monday for his reaction to the Cooper Kupp trade news.
Kupp shared a post on social media Monday announcing that the Los Angeles Rams are going to trade him this offseason. The announcement was not too surprising considering there was talk for a few months that the Rams were considering trading Kupp. But the announcement did catch Nacua off guard.
Nacua, who has been teammates with Kupp on the Rams the last few years, shared a post of his own on social media.
“So I thought it was just the NBA trade season,” Nacua humorously wrote on X.
So I thought it was just the NBA trade season
— Puka Nacua (@AsapPuka) February 4, 2025
Nacua was alluding to the big trades in the NBA this weekend that saw Luka Doncic get traded to the Lakers and De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs.
Just when Doncic will be arriving to Los Angeles, it looks like Kupp will be exiting. Paradoxically, it’s Nacua’s emergence that likely has left the Rams feeling comfortable about parting ways with Kupp.
Nacua had an explosive rookie season with 105 catches for 1,486 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2023. He followed that up with 79 catches for 990 yards and 3 touchdowns in 11 games this season.
Much like Kupp, Nacua was a late-round draft pick who has seen success with the Rams. Nacua was a fifth-round selection by the Rams out of BYU in 2023 and didn’t take long to make his mark on the league. Kupp was a third-round pick by the Rams out of Eastern Washington in 2017.
Ultimately, it’s not Kupp’s skill level, but rather his injury history, that likely led the Rams to arrive at this decision. Kupp has not played a full season since 2021, which is when he led the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16).
Now Nacua will slide up to the WR1 role for the Rams, who may also look to add another player via the draft.
