The price of Puka Nakua skyrocketed. And the Los Angeles Rams know it.
The wide receiver market has received a new reset, with the Seahawks cashing in on WR Jackson Smith-Njigba's historic extension. And now? Beautiful is sitting as the next person in line to get Nakua paid. The Rams are looking at a loaded extension class heading into Year 4 – Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Kobe Turner, and Byron Young – all worthy of locking in the bag long-term. But let's be real, puka is major. He's a WR1, Matthew Stafford's security blanket, and a straight-up chain mover with YAC juice.
From a front office perspective, this is where you either strike early or risk seeing the price rise even higher. Shut him down now, otherwise you're talking another terrible season. And that number? Yes, it's only going up. However, for now, things are all quiet on the Nakua front. No leaks, no discussion, no urgency. But with a new market agreement on board, the clock is officially ticking in LA.
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Puka Nakua contract talks just got real
Smith-Njigba blew the WR market wide open on Monday morning. Four years, $168.6 million, and now the ripple effect is hitting LA. As soon as the deal fell through, all eyes were on Nekua. Same draft class, same production tier, same OPOY crap. But don't expect the Rams to move at Seattle's pace.
According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, this is not a copy-paste situation. Garafolo said, "Puka Nacua... was neck-and-neck with JSN last year in terms of production and his candidacy for Offensive Player of the Year. But based on my conversations, I expect the situation will be different with Puka and the Rams." good morning football On 23 March.
Let's call it what it is: It was always going to be a two-man race for WR1 money between JSN and Puka. Seattle blinked first and quickly got their man; Smart cap play, long term savings. Meanwhile, Ram? Maybe they added a few extra million per year to Puka's future deal.
JSN set the level at $42.15M per year with $120M guaranteed. That's no longer the ceiling, that's starting line.
Now LA's front office has two options. Either they try to thread the needle between Jammer Chase and JSN Money. Or they rip off the band-aid and make Nacua the highest-paid WR in football. And honestly? Nekua's got a case.
Over the past two seasons, he has been the WR1 production-wise, finishing second in catches and yards; Right behind JSON. This guy has been a volume monster, a YAC monster, and Stafford's favorite in the clutch spot. Yes, there has been some turbulence along the way. But when it comes to contract negotiations, production speaks louder than anything else.
The market has just reset, the floor is just higher, and if the Rams want to keep their alpha WR... they better come right with the bag.
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