Matthew Stafford's Wife Kelly Rips Cooper Kupp Trade Plans amid Rumors on QB's Future

Kelly Stafford, the wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, does not believe trading star wideout Cooper Kupp is in her husband or his team's best interests.

"My husband wants to win. He's not trying to put his team in a bad situation," Kelly Stafford said on her podcast The Morning After.

She continued: "I will say the trading away of Cooper, I guess I'm just a little, I'm confused. Because we were one play away from going to the NFC Championship, and I think if we go, we win."

Kupp said in a Monday post on X that the Rams planned to trade him "immediately."

"I don't agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA," Kupp wrote.

Stafford and Kupp have played four seasons together. The duo led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl LVI after the 2021 season.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last week that Stafford plans to return to the Rams in 2025, although Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported days later that Stafford could be available this offseason.

Kelly Stafford mentioned the trade rumors surrounding her husband on the podcast:

"Right now, if the Rams decided that they wanted to trade him, or Matthew decided he didn't want to play for the Rams, I'm good. I would move my family. Yeah, that might be tough. First month, hard. After that, turns out, I like my kids to learn how to be resilient."

"The ball's really not in our court in that. But I value being respected and wanted over convenience. So it would be very convenient to stay. Very easy. But if someone doesn't feel valued, then I'm like, let's hit the road. Let's go on an adventure."

"I will say, we want to be here. but I'm not scared of going elsewhere, and I don't think he is, either."

Stafford previously addressed Kupp's pending departure in a Wednesday interview with CBS Sports.

"It's tough. I've been around long enough to know that anything is possible, but Cooper's been a pillar of this organization and this community for a long time, since he got drafted here," Stafford said (4:00 of the video below.)

Stafford continued: "Probably spent more time with Cooper Kupp than any other teammate I've ever had... I'll miss him not being on the same team."

The Rams advanced to the Divisional Round this winter before falling short in a 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

This time it was not Kupp serving as Stafford's top target but rather Puka Nacua, who led the Rams with 79 catches for 990 yards during his second NFL season.

Kupp signed a three-year extension worth up to $80 million after he led the NFL with 145 receptions during the 2021 season.

There is only $5 million in guaranteed money remaining on that deal, but the current structure of the contract carries cap hits of more than $27 million in both 2025 and 2026, per Spotrac.

With Nacua serving as the team's top receiver, the Rams would have likely needed to restructure that contract in order to retain Kupp. Any team trading for Kupp will likely do the same.

Stafford meanwhile has two years and $58 million remaining on his current contract, per Spotrac. He receives $4 million in guaranteed money if he is still on the roster as of March 14.

That could mean a decision regarding Stafford's future with the team will take place within the next month. Head coach Sean McVay said in January he would like to resolve Stafford's contract situation "sooner than later."