Ideal Cooper Kupp suitor has a distinct advantage should they play the waiting game

Patience will be a virtue when it comes to landing Cooper Kupp in NFL free agency this offseason. With the Los Angeles Rams planning to trade the former Super Bowl MVP, it remains to be seen who will be willing to take on his salary for the next two years. More importantly, how much of it are the Rams going to eat willingly? Kupp would be a $20 million cap hit if he was be released by the Rams.

Although the Rams would save $7.25 million if they cut Kupp at the start of the new league year in March, they would save $15 million if they earmarked him as a post-June 1 cut. That is why we cannot reasonably expect for Kupp to hit the free agency market until June at the absolute earliest. We will have had several waves of free agency come and go by that point, all to sign an aging wide receiver...

At this stage of the game, Kupp is no longer anything close to a No. 1 wide receiver. On a bad to okay team, he could still be a No. 2. Where I think he still offers a great amount of value is being a reliable No. 3 in a great receiving corps. Kupp is a reliable route runner with sure hands and big-time playmaking ability in clutch situations. It is why I do not think he signs with a non-playoff contender.

The right team for Kupp is out there, but we are at least four months away from even finding that out.

What kind of NFL team should be at the front of the line to land Kupp either in free agency or a trade?

Finances suggest Los Angeles Rams will not cut Cooper Kupp until June

There are three types of teams who could be in play for Kupp, regardless of their current financial situations. The first group are playoff teams that want to sustain excellence next year. Those teams would have to include the Denver Broncos, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Denver feels like the best fit among that trio, but Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay could be in play as well.

The second group of teams are those trying to go from a non-playoff team and into the postseason. I would say teams like the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys check that box quite well. And the third group of teams are the ones trying to go from bad to respectable, maybe even enough to make a surprising playoff push. Teams like the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots fit the mold.

Overall, we have to recognize that Kupp will be playing somewhere else next season. The Rams are moving forward with Puka Nacua as their bona-fide No. 1. I would argue it serves the Rams to pick up any draft capital they can for Kupp, as this team is staring a painful rebuild down the road in the face. Unfortunately, I do not think the Rams will be willing to do any team any favors in moving on from him.

Ultimately, I think a combination of front-office savvy and training camp roster depletion will play a part in where Kupp lands. If a team feels it is weak at wide receiver, whether that be after a series of offseason moves or a season-ending injury in training camp, that will be the one to pursue Kupp. I would not be shocked if he is traded or signs with another team less than a month before Week 1.

Do not be surprised if the many teams listed above find other solutions at wide receiver before Kupp.