Puka Nacua has put himself in a tricky situation with the Rams and you can’t blame the franchise at all
The star wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams might have cost himself a shot at being the highest-paid receiver in the league this offseason.
The offseason has been a troubled one for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua. A tremendous regular season got derailed in late December, when he did an antisemitic dance on a livestream while also saying on the stream that NFL referees invent calls to get on TV and implying that concussions aren’t real. Nacua also tried to invite those streamers to the Rams’ facility during a game week, something that invoked the wrath of head coach Sean McVay.
It didn’t stop there, unfortunately. Clips of Nacua appearing to be intoxicated in public and with various influencers began circulating on social media. In March, a lawsuit was filed against Nacua, claiming he bit two women at a dinner while intoxicated and made another antisemitic statement. Nacua’s lawyer did not deny the bite, but did deny the statement.
Nacua has checked himself into a rehab care facility. However, the damage has already been done for his relationship with the Rams.
Puka’s future with the Rams in jeopardy
With all of these incidents, Nacua’s relationship with the Rams has gotten thinner and thinner. Last week, general manager Les Snead said “You need to be on your P’s and Q’s in both categories to earn that type of contract. Right now we’re focused on the human being, and then we’ll get to that stuff.” in regards to Nacua’s extension talks.
Now, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reports that those extension talks have halted, and may not pick up again. “The Rams made it clear publicly and even more firmly behind the scenes in recent weeks that Nacua will have to correct his off-field behavior to earn the type of contract his league-leading play would typically merit.”
I don’t believe that an early extension is now a guarantee, even if the Rams have been clear they’d like Nacua to be with them for the long term…If they still aren’t totally sure or need more time, they could even use the franchise tag on Nacua next spring — a move they’ve typically avoided.
Jourdan Rodrigue
For things to have gotten to this point shows how disastrous this offseason has been. Multiple sources have indicated to me that the Rams were ready to make Nacua the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. Now, it seems like the Rams don’t trust Nacua at all.
The last time the Rams used the franchise tag was back in 2018 for safety Lamarcus Joyner. It has been seven straight offseasons without using it, one of the longest streaks in the NFL.
Los Angeles Rams in between rock and hard place for upcoming 2026 NFL Draft
The Rams are in a bit of a bind if they go wide receiver early in the draft. I’ve written before that the ideal round one receiver fills Adams’ role as the X. However, if Nacua is out of their long-term plans…then what? They need both, but only have the one first-round pick.
Omar Cooper Jr. and Makai Lemon, who would both be redundant with Puka, would become valuable without Puka in the picture. However, the Rams can’t just wash Nacua out of the picture. At the same time, they can’t operate like he will be.
There’s no real easy answer here. Personally, I would still take a receiver to replace Adams, such as KC Concepcion or Jordyn Tyson. If the bridge is gone between the Rams and Nacua, who knows how this could unfold.
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