Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead appears ready to play the waiting game.
As proactive as Snead has been in building the Rams’ roster, including drafting Ty Simpson 13th overall despite Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP-winning season, he has left stars like two-time Pro Bowler and one-time First Team All-Pro Puka Nacua in limbo.
Nacua has ascended the ranks of the best receivers in the game, but he has also given the Rams cause to hold off on a long-term deal. That does not cover all of the Rams’ bases, though.
Rams Have Lingering Situation With Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner
GettyKobie Turner, like Puka Nacua, is on an expiring contract.
In a conversation with ESPN’s Dan Graziano on “The Insiders” on August 18, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted not getting any inkling that Nacua or his other teammates who are on expiring deals will get new, long-term pacts anytime soon.
Rapoport told Graziano, “I don’t get the sense anything is coming, and making Puka Nacua go out, play it out on the field–and off the field as well. He’s been very upfront about some of the struggles he had this past offseason, over the course of the last calendar year. That seems to be in the cards. “
While Nacua’s situation has been the most publicized, the Rams have 10 starters among a slew of players set for free agency in 2027.
That just further clouds the Rams’ long-term outlook, though it is a good problem to have.
“It’s not just Puka Nacua. It’s several other players on the defensive line as well; two big contract extensions. Could potentially be working out some deals. They really have opted not to,” Rapoport said.
“What they did was basically go all in with players from other organizations. Obviously, Myles Garrett would be one. Trent McDuffie, swung a big trade. Paid him as the highest-paid corner in the NFL, after they traded with the Chiefs for him. He would be another. We’ll see if Aaron Donald comes in. More money. That would be another. Seems the Rams say, ‘You know what, we got a lot of good young players we need to pay. Maybe we can just wait. Take care of this year, and worry about everything else after.’ We’ll see how it all turns out.”
In addition to Nacua, fellow Rams receiver Davante Adams, guards Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila, center Coleman Shelton, and tight end Colby Parkinson are all on expiring deals.
Defensively, lineman Kobie Turner and linebackers Byron Young and Omar Speights top the list.
But Nacua, the NFL’s All-Time receiving yards-per-game leader, who has over 4,100 receiving yards in three seasons, remains the Rams’ most pressing and intriguing lingering contract situation heading into the 2026 season.
Puka Nacua Reality Check Looms Large
GettyThe Rams have to sort through several pressing contract situations, including Puka Nacua.
Snead and the Rams likely did not need one, but they got a reminder of just who Nacua is and what he could represent. He led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards per game during the 2025 regular season.
“Nacua remains the key unsigned piece this offseason, potentially stemming from lingering off-field issues,” Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote on August 17.
Nacua posted his 2025 numbers despite missing one game due to an injury.
His durability is another aspect of the situation that the Rams must weigh. Nacua has played in at least 16 regular-season games in all three of his previous seasons entering 2026. However, his physical playing style invites wear and tear.
While it is unlikely to be Nacua, especially since Snead and the Rams have the franchise tag at their disposal, several of the Rams’ pending free agents will be in new uniforms in 2027.
How many of them will be from that group of starters will be the key.
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