As long as Keenan Allen remains a free agent, the Chicago Bears are in need of a third receiver. Luckily for them, another star wide receiver has hit the free agent market.
After being unable to find a trade partner, the Los Angeles Rams decided to release Cooper Kupp. Teams like the Green Bay Packers have already shown interest and they won’t be the only team. His time with the Rams may have ended flat, but Kupp was still considered one of the best receivers in the league while with Los Angeles.
Now free to sign with any team, fans and pundits have already begun speculating where Kupp might go. Add the Bears to the list, as ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky argues Chicago should be bidding for Kupp’s services.
“If I were: Seattle, New England, Tennessee, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Kupp would be on my phone,” Orlovsky wrote.
If I were:
Seattle
New England
Tennessee
Chicago
PittsburghKupp would be on my phone
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) March 12, 2025
Cooper Kupp enters free agency
Kupp has been a member of the Rams ever since entering the NFL as a third-round pick in 2017. He appeared in 104 games with the team, starting 89 of them and catching 634 passes for 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns.
Kupp’s crowning achievement personally came the same year Los Angeles won the Super Bowl. In 2021, Kupp led the league with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl, earned an All-Pro nod and became the Offensive Player of the Year.
The 2024 season saw Kupp play in just 12 games due to injuries. When healthy, he caught 67 passes for 710 yards and six touchdowns. So while he may no longer be the Kupp of 2021, he is still a valuable receiving threat when on the field.
The key word being when there. Plenty of teams around the league would like to theoretically add Kupp. But they must also see him play an entire season of football. At least one franchise will be willing to take a chance based on his Super Bowl pedigree. But there are certainly questions surrounding the wide receiver as he enters free agency.”
Does Kupp fit Chicago Bears?
Ben Johnson is trying to add playmakers all over their roster. If Kupp is at the top of his game, he’d certainly qualify as one. So in theory, Chicago could find a way to make Kupp fit in their roster.
However, he is much more of a possession receiver at this stage of his career. Both DJ Moore and Rome Odunze fill that role admirably. In the slot, Johnson and company could be looking for a field stretcher who could take the top off of defenses. And at this stage, that Kupp is not.
His job could overlap with Cole Kmet or any tight end on the roster. Caleb Williams would look to Kupp in the middle of the field, making contested catches against ongoing defenders. And while that is a valuable role to have, Kmet is already being paid $50 million to do exactly that.
Johnson is a creative mind. And if Kupp is dedicated to proving himself, there will surely be opportunities for the pair to mesh to create magic. But the Bears offensive blueprints would look a bit different should Kupp actually come to Chicago.
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