Rams News: Veteran Pro Bowler Gets Candid About OTAs

This Los Angeles star offers up an honest perspective on offseason workouts.

Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; The Los Angeles Rams logo at midfield at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl MVP wide receiver Cooper Kupp is looking to improve from his two injury-riddled seasons since helped the program win the Big Game for just the second time in its history.

That starts in the offseason. L.A. is in the midst of OTA workouts. During a comprehensive brand-new conversation with former New England Patriots Super Bowl-winning receiver Julian Edelman on the latter's show "Games With Names," Kupp revealed his true feelings about OTAs.

“There’s a responsibility on players to do something in the offseason to prepare yourself to get ready to go,” Kupp said. “I just wish that more guys showed up ready to go. I understand this in terms of the the issues between the league and the players and the product needs to be good and there’s obviously the union is always going to argue for less work. The league is going to argue for more games. There’s a middle ground here where we got to come together and figure out what’s the way we put our best product forward.” 

“There is a responsibility on players to show up ready to work. That’s where I think some of this stuff could happen. Where guys in the summer take off. If you don’t want to be ready for OTAs, I’m fine with that but the guys that leave all summer, don’t do anything all summer, and then show up for training camp that summer," Kupp said. "You get five weeks from OTAs to training camp, take your break and then get ready to work because it’s in your best interest as a player to show up ready to go. To protect yourself, protect your teammates be ready to put your best foot forward.”

“If you don’t show up to training camp ready to go, I have a hard time when guys get hurt or guys do stuff or guys aren’t ready or guys are you know getting talked to by coaches about potentially getting released it’s like I saw you were in the Caribbean for three weeks,” Kupp concluded.

It's fascinating, and perhaps not altogether unsurprising, to see how much the former All-Pro and Pro Bowler values offseason preparation. When a team's leader is this committed to the cause, it feels liable to rub off on the rest of his squad.

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