The Cooper Kupp Dream Appears Dead
October 25th, 2024
Not coming.
Todd Bowles warned you.
There was a faction of Bucs fans who logically connected the dots. The Bucs are in need of two quality starting receivers (and other NFL teams in need of receivers in recent weeks have gone out and grabbed a starter).
The Bucs offensive coordinator is Liam Coen. He once was the offensive coordinator of the Rams. The Rams reported were shopping around star receiver Cooper Kupp. And Rams coach Sean McVay confirmed on the record the Rams had discussed Kupp’s availability with other team.
So the match seemed perfect. Kupp, on the trade block, would be sent to the Bucs to reunite with his old offensive coordinator and help fill a giant hole on the Bucs roster.
Asked about acquiring a receiver, Bucs coach Todd Bowles this week threw cold water on the idea saying the ransom for a quality receiver would be “half the team.” Don’t bank on it.
So last night, any dreams the Bucs still had of getting Kupp went up in smoke. Kupp had a solid game in the Rams’ upset of the Vikings last night to keep their playoff hopes alive and well.
After the game, McVay all but said Kupp is now off-limits.
“I’m really glad to have Cooper Kupp back with us, and that’s what I expect to stay that way.”
So no, it seems like the Bucs aren’t going to go out and grab a receiver. They are going to stick with their own and hope one of the three guys Coen said last week he didn’t yet quite trust to be a No. 3 receiver can blow up as a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver.
So yeah, you could say the Bucs just dropped a No. 2 on folks’ dreams of Kupp or another stud receiving coming in.
October 25th, 2024 at 11:27 am
can we get a receiver that is not made up of glass.
October 25th, 2024 at 11:29 am
I never backed Kupp to Tampa, I have faith and I think the staff has faith in our young guys.
JMAC just went to the national championship and played his heart out for Washington.
Trey Palmer was a part of possibly the greatest college WR room EVER, then comes to learn from Mike and Chris.
Dudes can ball, they just gotta get comfortable at the next level.
October 25th, 2024 at 11:29 am
Need them picks to draft another punter get over it folks
October 25th, 2024 at 11:30 am
@Joe
What would the “random” for a receiver be?
Spell check is a thing.
October 25th, 2024 at 11:31 am
yeah… this seems to be our whole team, not just the receivers. Gotta get the injuries figured out somehow but damn it feels like we are the unluckiest team in the league with key injuries at the wrong times.
October 25th, 2024 at 11:34 am
These injuries are league wide not just the Bucs. If you play fantasy football you what I’m talking about. (or DraftKings)
October 25th, 2024 at 11:40 am
Don’t need a receiver, until proven otherwise Todd Bowles defense is the weakness of the team
October 25th, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Coen would make a great HC.
But that probably seems a little random to some folks.
October 25th, 2024 at 12:05 pm
Everyone was counting out the Rams.. Don’t get on it!
October 25th, 2024 at 12:09 pm
Naa at least Todd had Jason reach into the dumpster and grab some former Lions scrub WR. That will fix everything.
A self aware professional who is honest about their own poor performance gets help. A coach for the coach. Fresh set of eyes on scheme, play call versus execution. Defect identification. Measurable actions to implement remedies.
But no. Todd’s stubbornness is ruining the season and costing him his job. Too bad no one can get through to him.
October 25th, 2024 at 12:12 pm
A receiver not made of glass? You ever watch a Bucs game? WTF? Or you mean just what have you done for me lately?
Two best wide receivers around the division and damn near the league for the last… almost 10yrs. Chris Godwin makes nearly every catch and doesn’t drop balls despite being abused over the middle. Evans has always been a little tender…but 1000yds a season for 10 seasons? He didn’t achieve that on the bench.
October 25th, 2024 at 12:16 pm
In 3 months when Liam becomes head coach, who out there will be his defensive coordinator? and do you think all 7 draft picks will be on the defensive side of the ball????
October 25th, 2024 at 12:16 pm
No dream of mine. A 30+year old EXPENSIVE WR who has MISSED about as many games as he’s actually PLAYED-IN over the past THREE SEASONS.
October 25th, 2024 at 12:25 pm
Everything and I mean everything is on the line with this Falcons game. So you be the judge here. Don’t have much confidence in what we have. If I was rich I would roll the dice on the Falcons.
October 25th, 2024 at 12:39 pm
Is there a handshake deal going on with the glazers and Bowles? Since when did a head coach care about draft picks for the next season as if they know they’ll be the coach? Licht’s build through the draft plan is not helping a coach expected to go deep into the playoffs but you didn’t give him a pass rusher to help his stupid zone scheme
October 25th, 2024 at 12:40 pm
Next man up,,,,
October 25th, 2024 at 12:42 pm
Kupp was a logical move if you want the Bucs to go all-in, win now. He is on the wrong side of 30 and I believe he has 2 more years left on his contract. It was likely a financial move not to land him. The longer-term risk to reward looked prohibitive, though he was a great win-now move for the team.
October 25th, 2024 at 12:43 pm
Wouldn’t help the defense that couldn’t stop a nose bleed.
October 25th, 2024 at 12:47 pm
I was one that wasn’t all in on Cooper. Totally respect him, but he didn’t seem to be the answer since he had the high ankle injury and hadn’t been playing. We do need other positions.
Apparently, the Rams didn’t feel as though they should keep him until they saw that he was fully back last night. Now he is a keeper for them. I feel bad for Cooper. He sort was used as a pawn this past week because of his injury. I wonder if any teams actually pursued him.
October 25th, 2024 at 1:16 pm
I feel like we are watching this season go down the tubes really fast. Well if it does not work out. Todd Bowles will be out of a job and no other team will give him another HC opportunity. Ok Todd let’s see how much you can coach these guys up.
October 25th, 2024 at 1:17 pm
I guess that means that Ann-Margret is not coming….
October 25th, 2024 at 1:17 pm
Luv Cooper But he’s on the downside and has been decimated by injuries. I don’t think he has long to play. He’s like Evans and has taken a lot of hits. Still serviceable but on the downside. Bucs don’t do many in season trades. Just look at our history. Kinda sad because we need help everywhere.
October 25th, 2024 at 2:18 pm
Pound the Rock!
We ran the ball really well against the Ravens.
We must become a “ground and pound” offense.
We lost our top 2 receivers.
But we have 3 good backs.
It’s time for White to get WR screens. (Godwin’s bread and butter)
It’s time for 6 and 7 man offensive line formations.
Slide Klein in at RG. Hainsey at center. Pop Barton out to second LT. Mauch as second RT.
I want 7 lineman. 10 snaps per game.
We have 7 decent lineman. 3 good backs.
Use them!
And we should beg Gronk to come back.
He’s like an 8th offensive lineman.
I say we focus on our strengths now.
Offensive line depth. And RB depth.
Jalen needs to become a #1 target. And stop dropping passes!
Shepherd is our new slot receiver.
Our new white boy Miller looks good.
And Palmer can still fly.
Stop crying yall. Adapt!
October 25th, 2024 at 2:24 pm
Honestly makes sense if you think about it as these guys need snaps and that will tell us if they have what it takes as full time starters. If you bring in others that takes snaps away from them. Next man up. Let’s see who it is
October 25th, 2024 at 2:33 pm
Joe Mac – Wow, honestly the way you put that all makes me believe. Almost brought a tear to my eye, probably better speech than what Bowles comes up with
October 25th, 2024 at 3:19 pm
Too many holes to fill to trade for WR IMO, especially since Evans will be back in a few weeks.
We have bigger issues at:
ILB, OLB, CB, SS
October 25th, 2024 at 3:23 pm
It would be dumb to start shuffling the O-line on top of the other changes. It’s taken them all season to “gel” and begin executing their assignments. I can see plugging in an extra guy or 2 on some heavy formations but the starting 5 should absolutely stay where they’re at now.
I do appreciate your hopeful attitude tho ✌🏼
October 25th, 2024 at 3:25 pm
I love me some Cooper Kupp, but this dream was never alive. Just isn’t good business. As some of you might have pointed out, getting Kupp would’ve been an all-in scenario, and frankly our defense would be the reason we’re not even close to being all-in.
Furthermore, this is a must-win game. It’s looking like there will be no wild cards coming from our division this season, we need to win our division, AND if we can figure out the Falcons this weekend, this season is damn near over. They go up 4-0 in the division, they would require a monumental collapse during the second half of the season for us to stay in contention for the division and frankly I don’t see that happening with Cousins, Desmond Ridder perhaps, but Cousins isn’t going to let that happen.
October 25th, 2024 at 3:47 pm
it was never going to happen anyways
October 25th, 2024 at 3:48 pm
Am I the only one who is more worried about our lack of pass rush, KJ Britt, and secondary? I mean our defense is bad! If a trade is made it should be for defensive help… Even had Mike and Chris stayed heatlhy, how far would we go in playoffs with that defense? Seriously? We stink. Cant rush the passer unless we blitz and we cant stop the passing game.
And another thing – how is it we dont blitz a one-legged aging QB in Cousins and let him slice and dice us for 500+ and blitz the most dangerous QB in the NFL in Jackson? Sure it got Bucs two sacks early but I didnt see Lamar on the ground much on his way to leading the Ravens offense to six straight scoring possessions. WTF is that? I mean we need to GO AFTER Kirk Cousins on Sunday. GET HIM OFF HIS MARK!
October 25th, 2024 at 3:53 pm
It wouldn’t have happened. He is too old and the Glazer plan is to put out cash to contend again begins in 2026.
Bucs need to draft better along their defenses front seven or it’ll be all for naught.
October 25th, 2024 at 4:00 pm
cooper is a kupp half full…
trading for him is also saying bye bye to CG14…
think about what you wish for bucs fanzzzzz
October 25th, 2024 at 4:16 pm
“Bucs don’t trade for receiver who was never actually available for trade.”
October 25th, 2024 at 4:51 pm
See NFL fined Roquan Smith for illegal hip drop tackle on Chris Godwin. The fine was around $17,000. The cowards is the NFL should suspend Roquan Smith for the same length of time CG will be out. That tackle was just what the NFL had in mind when they made those tackles illegal. It is a dirty play designed to injure ankles and legs of ball carrier. Really surprised with all the word wasted on Bowles coaching and Mayfield’s 2 INT’s that few on this blog mentioned what was clearly an illegal and harmul tackle designed to injure an opponent.
October 25th, 2024 at 5:03 pm
Is Ricky Proehl available?
October 25th, 2024 at 5:28 pm
Call Dave in Carolina, younger and call do his job well enough and has a few good seasons under his belt. Also, love you Chris.
October 25th, 2024 at 5:32 pm
Jon Mac — love the offensive vision, Liam is probably thinking that way too, but I love how you called for it.
Now – what do you propose the Todd does with his “Cover Who?” Defense? I’m seriously asking because I loved that offensive framework you painted .
October 25th, 2024 at 5:39 pm
Kupp is not a good fit for us. Too much money then what happens when Evans and Godwin are back? It will mess up the chemistry. Also we had one of the deepest receiving Corp in the league. We still have 3 great receivers. Great tight ends and 3 running backs that can catch and make great yards after catch.Dont sweat it. Offensively we will be ok. What we desperately need are some good CBs and a great edge rusher. That is worth trading for. Ohh and look at Dallas as a shallow receiving Corp. Outside of CeeDee and TE Ferguson they have no one good.
October 25th, 2024 at 6:56 pm
Baker needs to make a side offer to Gronk to make a comeback. Now. Right the eff now.
October 25th, 2024 at 7:07 pm
We need someone to replace Britt worse. But that’s not going to happen either. So expect the Falcons to put at least 30 points on the board. And please don’t tell me Kancey will put Cousins on his back all day to stop it because it’s not going to happen. The blueprints are out on this defense. They have been exposed.
October 25th, 2024 at 7:59 pm
If (when) this team misses the post season, Todd Bowles’ coaching career should be dead, too.
October 25th, 2024 at 8:53 pm
Thielen would be a good consolation prize
October 25th, 2024 at 9:02 pm
The guys they have will step up.
October 26th, 2024 at 12:34 am
Win the Atlanta game…and we make a move early.next week…absolute must win…can’t lose both to.the birds..period….let’s get the W…and see what they do