The Los Angeles Rams are planning to move on from one of their star wide receivers this offseason, and former BYU Cougar Puka Nacua is a bit thrown off by the news.

“So I thought it was just the NBA trade season,” Nacua wrote on X late Monday afternoon, alluding to the major trades that have shaken up the NBA over the past few days.

Nacua’s post came after his teammate Cooper Kupp announced on social media that he’d been informed by the Rams of the team’s intent to trade him away.

“I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships. I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA,” wrote Kupp, 31, who was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in 2021.

Cooper Kupp’s career highlights

Kupp was drafted by the Rams in 2017 and has been a star basically since the beginning of his NFL career.

He set a Rams rookie reception record during his first season and recently broke the NFL record for most receptions in 100 career games.

“He’s a special player,” Rams coach Sean McVay said when Kupp broke that second record in December, per ESPN. “He’s a more special person. His work ethic, everything that he’s about is the right kind of stuff, and really happy for him and really disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to recognize that in real time.

All together, "Kupp has totaled 634 catches for 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns" over seven seasons, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“He ... holds the records for the most yards from scrimmage by a wide receiver in a single season (1,965) and the most receptions in a single postseason (33),” Schefter reported on X.

Kupp has also been a key mentor for Nacua since the former BYU star was drafted by the Rams in 2023.

At the start of training camp last summer, Nacua told reporters about working out with Kupp during the offseason, noting that he repeatedly threw up on Kupp’s lawn.

“He was very open and honest with me in where I can improve, so it was a huge blessing,” Nacua said, per Sports Illustrated.

Kupp trade

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In his social media post about a getting traded, Kupp thanked his teammates and the LA community for embracing him and his family.

“I have taken so much pride in playing alongside my teammates,” he wrote.

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He added that he plans to keep playing “elite football for years to come.”

“If there’s one thing that I have learned over the years: there are so many things that are out of your control, but it is how you respond to these things that you will look back on and remember,” Kupp said.

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