The Los Angeles Rams have held off on giving several players new contracts amid their offseason splurge on blockbuster trades, and none of those left in limbo stand out more than star wide receiver Puka Nacua.
Nacua has created some of that hesitation with his off-the-field missteps, but he undeniably remains one of the top talents in the league.
That is just part of the risk-reward equation the Rams must work through with Nacua.
Rams’ Puka Nacua Falls Just Shy of Top Spot
GettyPuka Nacua just missed out on the No. 1 spot on a preseason watchlist.
Nacua led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards per game in 2025, earning his second Pro Bowl and first First Team All-Pro while helping the Rams reach the NFC Championship Game.
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan noted Nacua also holds the NFL record for career receiving yards per game. Sullivan ranked Nacua second on his list of the top 25 players under 25 years old heading into Week 1 of the 2026 season, behind only Bijan Robinson.
Sullivan believes that, “pound for pound,” Nacua has an “argument” as the NFL’s best wideout.
“Nacua is a nightmare for opposing secondaries because he consistently finds ways to get open, and he’s shown the ability to completely take over games,” Sullivan wrote on July 7. “He has dealt with some off-the-field issues this offseason, but when he’s right, he’s at the top of his position.”
Whenever Nacua does cash in with a long-term contract extension, he could reset the market for wideouts.
Spotrac projected Nacua’s market value at $40.2 million, offering a four-year, $160 million contract as an example of what he could receive. That would be behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Ja’Marr Chase in total value, pulling him even with the latter in average salary, per Spotrac.
Puka Nacua Gets Reality Check
GettyPuka Nacua’s future with the Los Angeles Rams remains unsettled without a long-term extension in place.
The Athletic’s Jacob Robinson shared a study about when various positions peak in their careers, and it is encouraging for Nacua and the Rams.
“We should worry less about players aging,” Robinson wrote on July 6, adding that wide receivers like Nacua “need more time to master routes and chemistry before entering their primes around age 26.”
Nacua will not turn 26 until May 2027.
That is promising from the standpoint of how much better he could be by then, especially if he can eliminate the distractions away from football.
“Nobody on this team is facing a bigger season for the long-term than Nacua,” The Athletic’s Nate Atkins wrote on July 1, noting that Nacua must “show growth after a trip to holistic care this offseason to earn the kind of contract his play and position justify. On the field, the only question is whether he can withstand the brutality of his playing style and high volume to continue to be the No. 1 option the Rams need.”
ESPN’s Seth Walder noted that the depth behind him and Davante Adams “is severely lacking” in an article on July 6, adding that the Rams have “a couple of Achilles’ heels they must protect” despite having the best roster. That only underscores how important Nacua is to the Rams.
“The depth behind [Adams] and Puka Nacua is severely lacking. The Rams are the best team in football, but they have a couple of Achilles’ heels they must protect.”
Puka Nacua Gets Clear Message Amid Rams Uncertainty