PALM BEACH, Fla. — Sean McVay will get his first look at the Rams’ revamped receiver corps when players report for voluntary offseason workouts this month.
For the first time in McVay’s nine-year tenure, Cooper Kupp is not on the roster. The Rams last month released the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year, who recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
“The one thing that I do know he knows,” McVay said Tuesday at the NFL’s annual meeting, “is how much I appreciate him, how much I love him and how grateful I am for the time that we had even if … he’s probably not my biggest fan right now.”
Rising star Puka Nacua, three-time All-Pro Davante Adams and newly-minted $10-million-man Tutu Atwell are now quarterback Matthew Stafford’s main targets.
Nacua supplanted Kupp as Stafford’s No. 1 target the last two seasons. The 2023 fifth-round draft pick will earn slightly more than $1 million this season, according to Overthecap.com, making him one of the NFL’s best bargains.
Adams, who was a free agent after the New York Jets released him, was a player McVay long admired.
Adams noted last month that McVay voiced his respect several years ago when they met at the Kentucky Derby. Adams also said that McVay recruited him to the Rams by sending him a self-narrated highlight video.
“When I sent him that video,” McVay said, “he’s either thinking one of two things — ‘Man, I like this guy. Or he’s freakin’ whacked.’ And probably both.
“But he decided to come with us, so we’ll take it.”
In 2021 the Rams surprised many when they drafted Atwell in the second round. Though the small but speedy Atwell has never played a consistently prominent role in McVay’s offense, he was productive when called upon.
Still, many Rams fans were surprised when the team signed Atwell to a one-year, $10-million contract. McVay indicated that the projection of Atwell’s production as a starter over a full season made it a solid investment.
“I think the fans are accurate in that I haven’t done a good enough job of utilizing him,” McVay said. “And when you look at the times when he’s been able to play, whether that’s because some people are out or not, he’s produced and he’s delivered.”
Etc.
The Rams were scheduled to meet Tuesday with running back Kyren Williams’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, regarding a possible extension for a player entering the final year of his rookie contract. “I’ve had conversations with Kyren,” McVay said. “He knows how important he is to us. … As far as just bridging that gap we’ll see how far that we have to go for that, but he is a very important part of what we want to be moving forward.” … Veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein had shoulder surgery, but he is expected to be ready for training camp, McVay said.
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