Sean McVay's concerning message gives Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp a Rams exit ramp

Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp have enjoyed their four years together, specifically the 2021 season in which the Rams made a Super Bowl run with the latter winning Super Bowl MVP. Kupp had nearly 2,000 yards receiving that season, but it'll only buy him so much time in Los Angeles. The injuries that followed for both these players were devastating to the Rams postseason chances.

Kupp played just 33 games over the next three seasons, while Stafford played just half of the 2022 season and missed important games in 2023 and 2024. When the Rams stay healthy, they remain productive enough offensively to scare any team in the NFL. Unfortunately, they typically aren't healthy.

"I think the biggest thing is there would be a little bit more versatility," McVay said during his end-of-season video conference with reporters. "The easy answer is to complain about the injuries that we had that threw off the continuity and while that might be true, you can't allow that to inhibit us the way that it did. That's nobody's responsibility but my own."

Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp might not fit the Rams long-term vision

While McVay is taking responsibility, he is also admitting the Rams must change their ways. Los Angeles is too reliant on a small group of star players, which Stafford and Kupp are a part of.

"How do you utilize the offseason and how are you making yourself more versatile from a personnel perspective or from a run variety perspective?" McVay said. "Those are the things that I'm excited to be able to dive into."

While that all sounds good on paper, the Rams won't have a ton of money to work with unless they part ways with some of those key contributors like Kupp and Stafford. Kupp has already been floated to the New England Patriots, a young team in need of a premier pass catcher for Drake Maye. Stafford, meanwhile, recently committed to play in 2025. He hopes that is with the Rams, but there's no real guarantee.

Per Over The Cap and NFL.com, the Rams can save $27 million by trading Stafford after June 1, and $23 million if they release him after that same date. This is thanks to Stafford's revised contract which he signed last offseason. As of this writing, he'd carry a near-$50 million cap hit this offseason. The Rams can't have that and achieve more versatility and roster flexibility, as McVay noted.

The Rams have some tough questions this offseason, and Kupp and Stafford might not like the answers.