Cooper Kupp has foot out the door in Los Angeles and one obvious destination

The Los Angeles Rams' season ended with a tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Matthew Stafford proved the naysayers wrong with an impressive performance in the snow, but self-inflicted wounds got the best of LA — not to mention another dominant performance from Saquon Barkley, who compiled more than 500 yards from scrimmage across two meetings with LA this season.

A lot of uncertainty is swirling around the Rams' organization these days. Sean McVay is a tremendous head coach and it's clear LA can still contend on some level, but this roster is a far cry from its championship heyday. Matthew Stafford is getting closer to retirement and now, Cooper Kupp's future comes into sharp focus.

The talented wideout has two years left on his contract, but only $5 million is guaranteed in 2025. The Rams can save quite a bit of cash by releasing Kupp in the coming weeks. He would otherwise carry a $29.8 million cap hit next season, which probably makes LA's decision for them.

Kupp can still get the job done, but injuries have taken their toll on the 31-year-old former Super Bowl MVP. He was limited to 12 appearances in the regular season, netting 67 receptions for 710 yards and six touchdowns. His 10.6 yards per catch was a career low.

Despite his waning impact, Kupp still wants to play next season.

"Who knows what's going to happen," Kupp told ESPN. "That's out of my control. And we will see what it's going to be... I don't have any clarity on what that's going to look like or anything like that. So yeah, obviously would love to be in L.A., but I don't know what that's going to look like."

The question is... where?

Cooper Kupp's next team is obvious if Rams don't keep him around

Kupp might not hold up to the same standards he did a few years ago, but there is still undeniable value in his sharp route-running and dependable hands. Kupp is always in the right spot, comfortable dinking and dunking his way to yards and rarely stumbling into unforced errors. He doesn't drop easy catches, he doesn't take his foot off the gas pedal prematurely, and most importantly, he's always in lockstep with his quarterback.

Stafford and Kupp developed a special bond in LA, which will be hard to replicate at the latter's next stop. That said, if Kupp has his pick of teams, there is a rather obvious destination — the New England Patriots.

With Mike Vrabel taking over as head coach and installing a distinctly Patriots-y scheme (Josh McDaneis, anybody?), Drake Maye is positioned some something that smells an awful lot like success. New England has plenty to figure out on the roster front, but Vrabel is a proven winner (as is McDaniels when he's a coordinator). Maye was tremendous as a rookie despite a patchwork O-line and a cruddy WR room, so just imagine how he'll look with real pieces around him.

Kupp would go a long way toward stabilizing New England's WR room. He should not be the Patriots' only pass-catching addition, but Kupp's ability to line up all over the formation and dominate on intermediate routes would be quite useful for a young quarterback. As a rookie, Maye didn't really have an established WR1 to lean on late in games, nor to look to for quick hits when the pocket collapsed. Kupp can fulfill that role.

He is not a long-term solution, but as a temporary investment, Kupp could meaningfully aid Maye's development as New England tries to start winning games again. There are notable parallels between Maye and Stafford, two prototypically tall and athletic quarterbacks with live arms and flairs for the dramatic. Kupp would flourish in Foxboro.