close
close
Pat McAfee asks Bills GM Brandon Beane about the rumors

It is unknown if Brandon Beane is in trade talks to pursue Cooper Kupp. But the Buffalo Bills general manager responded to a FaceTime call about the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver.

Sports talk show host Pat McAfee FaceTimed Beane live on air Tuesday. Beane answered.

It was a strange sequence on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

McAfee discussed a tweet from The Athletic's Dianna Russini that said the Rams had contacted multiple teams to take a look at Kupp, a former Super Bowl MVP. Los Angeles is reportedly pursuing a second-round pick and is willing to pay a portion of Kupp's 2024 salary. Last week there was a report of inbound calls from teams inquiring about a trade for Kupp.

Buffalo traded for five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper last week. McAfee's co-hosts said they couldn't rule out Beane adding another playmaker, pointing to Beane's comments on the show the week before that the Bills were “still all in” and might not be done with that yet Dealing is done.

“Beane never stops,” McAfee said. “I FaceTiming him. I don't know if this is the right step from a journalistic point of view. I’m FaceTiming a GM right now.”

Beane responded and McAfee told him, “We’re live! We are live! I’m live!”

McAfee then muted the studio microphones for more than a minute to speak to Beane privately while the show was still airing in silence.

McAfee hung up, the audio returned to the show, and the host chatted for another minute about his conversation with Beane.

“I just spoke to general manager-level sources in the NFL who said, usually or sometimes, when it says teams have been called or shopped or whatever, you know, when it's a team call, it comes “It might come from the team saying, 'Hey, we don't have anyone calling but available.' But inside the building, I don't want to have to deal with being the ones doing the shopping.” So you never know. There are so many different ways this could go. Might have been an agent saying, 'Hey, teams are calling for Cooper Kupp.' I can't say that in this particular situation. He just generally says it is. But usually whenever something feeds into multiple sources like this, it's like, “Hey, yo, uh, how are you, keep it up.” I didn't ask him if he was going to be the one to call her . I feel like that would have been a bit too much in the middle of the show. But from his perspective, the general manager that I just spoke to, maybe for Buffalo, it's like every time this stuff comes out, it's like, uh, you know, it's like, uh , kind of like a “Hey, yo, here.” we're going.' And you never know if a team will actually call. You never know who you're bidding against. You know, it’s like a whole thing.”

Pat McAfee

The Gist: Beane explained in general terms how multi-source leaks work. An agent or organization might anonymously reveal that a player is available or that a team is interested in a player to stimulate trade discussions. Potential trade partners don't know if they're in a bidding war with other teams or if there are other real trade suitors. It is a negotiation tactic to gauge interest in trade negotiations.

On

Kupp, 31, led the NFL in catches (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16) while also being named the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He formed a dynamic bond with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford that ended with a Lombardi Trophy and Kupp was named MVP of Super Bowl LVI after recording eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

In June 2022, he signed a three-year, $80.1 million contract extension through 2026.

The Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers are rumored to be the landing spots for Kupp. He told reporters Tuesday that he was aware of the trade rumors.

Cooper Kupp landing sites: Chiefs, Steelers fit best if Rams trade WR

“At the end of the day, I’ll be where I am,” Kupp said. “I have a job to do here, and I take great pride in doing everything I can for the guys in this building. “Being able to step onto the field knowing that's who I am prepared as best as possible. I've been an LA Ram for seven and a half years and I've taken this approach every day and whatever happens outside I have to control what I can control and right now that means being the best LA Ram I can be.”

Kupp hasn't played since injuring his ankle in the second quarter of Week 2. The season before the injury, he had 18 catches for 147 yards and one touchdown. Kupp is expected to return for Thursday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. He has played in 23 of 40 regular season games since the start of 2022.

Cooper Kupp contract

According to Spotrac, Kupp has a base salary of $15 million in 2024, with $9.7 million remaining prorated. He is due a squad bonus of $7.5 in March.

His base salary is $12.5 million, with $5 million guaranteed and a cap hit of $29.78 million in 2025. He has a base salary of $14.85 million, but none is guaranteed, with a cap hit of $27.33 million in 2026.

Cooper Kupp stats

  • Statistics for 2024: 2 games; 18 receptions; 147 receiving yards; 8.2 average; 1 touchdown
  • Career Stats: 94 games; 585 receptions; 7,213 meters; 12.3 average; 52 touchdowns'

By Vanessa

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *