Rams WR Kupp gets three-year extension
Total deal $110M for Super Bowl star
Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams Wednesday after a spectacular season in which he led the NFL in every major receiving category.
The Rams announced the deal just two days after signing Aaron Donald to a massive extension. Kupp’s new extension is worth $75 million guaranteed, and it brings his total deal to $110 million through 2026 when adding the two years remaining on his first extension, which was signed in September 2020.
Kupp had one of the greatest seasons in football history last year in his first pairing with new Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Kupp led the NFL with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns for Los Angeles, earning The Associated Press’ offensive player of the year award as only the fourth player since the merger to lead the league in all three categories.
Commanders
Assistant coach Jack Del Rio issued an apology for his word choice after doubling down on a comparison he made on social media between the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, and the protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Del Rio, a former linebacker who now runs Washington’s defense, downplayed the deadly insurrection and questioned why the summer of 2020 protests were not receiving the same scrutiny. His comments Wednesday after an offseason practice came a day before a House committee investigating the pro-Donald Trump disruption of Congress 17 months ago begins public hearings on the matter.
“People’s livelihoods are being destroyed, businesses are being burned down, no problem,” Del Rio said. “And then we have a dust-up at the Capitol, nothing burned down, and we’re going to make that a major deal. I just think it’s kind of two standards.”
• Head coach Ron Rivera charged across the field in a workout, screaming: “Who was the [expletive] safety? Who was the [expletive] safety?” A moment earlier, halfway through a team workout Wednesday, safety Jeremy Reaves collided with wide receiver Dyami Brown, who crumpled to the turf. Reaves had tried to jump Brown’s route over the middle and accidentally hit Brown in the head area with his head or shoulder. As trainers attended to Brown, who remained down for a few minutes, Rivera chewed out Reaves for making a dangerous play in June. He huddled up the whole team and launched into an expletiveladen speech about discipline and understanding the bigger picture.
Bears
Chicago had to cancel an offseason workout this week because they violated NFL rules by having live contact in a session a month ago, coach Matt Eberflus said. Eberflus said the contact that occurred was because of overzealous players and not the team’s practice structure. He said neither he nor the organization was fined, and the Bears found out Monday evening that Tuesday’s OTA session was canceled. The Bears were back on the field Wednesday. Eberflus, hired to replace the fired Matt Nagy, said he didn’t see losing a workout as a major issue.
Chargers
No one would have been surprised if tight end Donald Parham tried to ease back into things this week after suffering a frightening injury late last year. He has been participating throughout the offseason program as he prepares for the upcoming season. Parham resumed offseason training in early March, less than three months after being taken off the field on a stretcher after his head slammed to the turf in the first quarter of a Dec. 16 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Elsewhere
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is putting his NFL career on hold — again. The 31-yearold Canadian offensive lineman told The Canadian Press that he will begin a residency program at a Montrealarea hospital next month. Duvernay-Tardif has been an unrestricted free agent since March after finishing the 2021 season with the New York Jets. He said he’s not retiring from football, just taking care of medical requirements needed to become a physician. The guard plans to reassess his football interest as well as that of NFL clubs in September.