Part of the first wave of free agency is watching well-known veteran players end up as surprise cap casualties. It happens every year, and this offseason is no different with Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp being among the most notable players to get the kibosh.
Kupp is a free agent and free to sign wherever he wants, and there’s no shortage of interest in him.
While doing a hit on SportsCenter this morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped a bomb about where Cooper Kupp might end up. He only named three teams — the Broncos, Patriots, and Seahawks — but said that as many as 12 teams have shown an interest in bringing him in.
This will naturally pique the interest of some Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans who will read between those lines and assume that Tampa Bay might be a suitor.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the Buccaneers to sign Cooper Kupp
It very well could be that the Bucs are interested in Kupp, as the team has been linked to him going back to the trade deadline when it looked like he might get moved before the Rams eventually held onto him.
There’s logic to suggest signing him would be an all-in move aligned with the general vibe of Tampa Bay’s offseason so far. Jason Licht has made it abundantly clear through deals with Chris Godwin and Haason Reddick, as well as the endorsement of Lavonte David returning for another year, that he’s going for a Super Bowl this year.
Signing Kupp would certainly pile on, but it’s excessive in the wrong way.
He’d absolutely make the Buccaneers wide receiver room better, but Kupp’s addition would make an already crowded situation even stuffier. Godwin is back on a $60 million to rejoin Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan, so the top three wide receiver slots are already full and spoken for.
Below that the Bucs have a logjam for roster spots. Trey Palmer, Sterling Shepard, Rakim Jarrett, Ryan Miller, and Kameron Johnson are all competing for what could be just one or two roster spots this offseason.
Would Kupp sign with the Bucs to be WR4 and get fewer snap counts than he would with the Seahawks or Patriots?
It makes sense for the Bucs from a Madden standpoint, but in reality it’s not a great fit for either side. Kupp is better off finding a bigger opportunity with a more wide reciever-needy team, and the Bucs are better off not spending money on him and using it elsewhere on the roster.
Perhaps the Bucs are one of the 12 teams to check in on Kupp, and fans will certainly hope they are, but this is a move where the math on all levels just doesn’t add up.
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