Sports
Cooper Kupp not sure if he'll be back with Rams: 'I don’t have any clarity'
Cooper Kupp established himself as an important part of the Rams’ offense from the day general manager Les Snead selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.
But the receiver who won NFL offensive player of the year and Super Bowl most valuable player awards began the offseason on Monday with his future with the Rams in doubt.
When the Rams started the season 1-4, the team entertained trade offers for Kupp. The Rams turned around their season, but the eighth-year pro’s production waned during their drive to the playoffs.
A day after the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Rams 28-22 in an NFC divisional-round game, Kupp was asked if he wanted to return.
“Yeah,” Kupp told reporters in the locker room at the team’s facility in Woodland Hills. “Who knows what’s going to happen. A lot of stuff is out of my control. We’ll see what it’s going to be.
“There was obviously stuff that was going on early on in the season and we’ll see. I don’t have any clarity on what that’s going to look like or anything like that. Obviously, I would love to be in L.A. But I don’t know what that’s going to look like.”
Kupp’s situation is one of several that Snead, coach Sean McVay and the Rams must address, including whether quarterback Matthew Stafford will be back.
Before this past season, the Rams bent to Stafford’s demand to adjust his contract. The 16-year veteran, who will be 37 in a few weeks, said after the loss to the Eagles that he would take some time to consider his future.
Kupp, who will be 32 next season, has two years left on the extension he signed in 2022, which included $75 million in guarantees. The Rams rewarded Kupp after he achieved the so-called triple crown by leading the NFL in catches, yards receiving and touchdown catches. Kupp capped that season by catching two touchdown passes in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium.
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp runs with the football during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in October 2023.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
But Kupp suffered several injuries that sidelined him for much of the past three seasons, including an ankle injury this season kept him out of four games.
In 12 regular-season games, Kupp caught 67 passes for 710 yards and six touchdowns. He caught only one pass in the Rams’ wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
“Like any great leader, I think he was just glad to be a part of winning for our team,” McVay said before the Rams played the Eagles, “but he’ll always be a guy that we want to try to be able to get involved.”
Kupp caught five passes for 61 yards in the defeat on Sunday.
Kupp is due to earn $12.5 million next season on a salary-cap number of $29.8 million, according to Overthecap.com. Only $5 million of his salary is guaranteed, according to the website.
The Rams could ask Kupp to restructure his contract. Or they could trade him.
Kupp said there was “no doubt in my mind” that he wants to play next season.
“I feel like I have a lot of good football left in me,” he said, “so I definitely will be playing. I will be playing football next year, so that much I know.”
Kupp has been an important part of McVay’s offense in several iterations.
As a rookie, he combined with receivers Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins to give former quarterback Jared Goff multiple options.
In 2018, Kupp, Woods and Brandin Cooks were a dynamic trio before Kupp suffered a season-ending knee injury that forced him to miss the second half of the season and the run to Super Bowl LIII.
In 2021, Stafford arrived via a trade for Goff and he immediately connected with Kupp. Woods suffered a late-season knee injury, and the Rams signed Odell Beckham Jr., who helped the Rams win the Super Bowl.
Last season, with Kupp sidelined early because of a hamstring injury, rookie receiver Puka Nacua emerged as a star. Nacua now appears on track to earn a huge extension before the 2026 season, which also makes Kupp’s situation tenuous.
On Monday, Kupp said he would take time to reflect on this season.
“Even though it wasn’t pretty a lot of the times, offensively, we got it done,” he said. “So there is frustration there. And obviously I want to be able to feel like I’m impacting games and that’s done on a much more discreet level, I feel like, for a lot of these games….I can look back on this season and be happy with what I put on tape and things that I was being asked to do, I feel like I was executing my job, and that’s all you can do.”
Kupp said he did not have any issues that would require surgery and that he “should be able to have a full offseason to be able to train and do what I need to do.”
Whether that work will be evidenced in a ninth season with the Rams — or perhaps another team — remains to be seen.
Sports
Auburn fans shower officials with debris after wild buzzer-beater gets overturned
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A chaotic scene unfolded at Auburn University on Tuesday night as a wild buzzer-beater was waved off well after the Tigers had celebrated on their own court.
With 0.6 seconds remaining and Auburn trailing 90-88, KeShawn Murphy, somehow left wide open, caught an inbounds pass and nailed a long 3-pointer for what was thought to be the game-winner.
However, officials went to the scorer’s table to review the play, which was awfully close.
Auburn Tigers players watch the replay of a possible game-winning shot that was called back as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Ultimately, officials ruled that the shot had not gone off in time, ending the Tigers’ celebration and prompting one from Texas A&M.
The officials quickly made themselves public enemy number one and were showered with debris from fans on their way off the court. At least one referee needed his head to be covered.
One fan sitting courtside even turned his back and threw his drink over his shoulder aimed at an official.
“They didn’t say a word. They just said it was no good and ran off the floor. I probably wouldn’t want to talk to me in that moment, anyway,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl, who took over for his dad, Bruce this season, said after the game. “So, I get why they’d run away from me. Just from the angles that I saw, it looked like it was off his fingers. But that was just, I don’t have all the same angles they have.”
Texas A&M Aggies players celebrate victory as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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It is now six losses in their last 10 games for the Tigers after starting 5-1. They lost in the Final Four last year to Florida, who won the national championship over Houston.
Auburn (9-6, 0-2) led 47-37 at halftime and extended the margin to 61-45 with 12:29 remaining.
KeShawn Murphy of the Auburn Tigers reacts after officials ruled that his last-second shot did not beat the shot clock to win the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena on Jan. 6, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Getty Images)
Texas A&M answered with a steady run fueled by outside shooting, taking its first lead at 8:42 when Pop Isaacs buried a 3-pointer. The Aggies followed with back-to-back triples from Isaacs to open a five-point cushion that they would not relinquish, by the skin of their teeth.
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Sports
Former NFL player Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after accident on his ranch
Two-time All-American wide receiver and prominent Outdoors Channel host Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after an accident on his ranch in Texas, his family said in a statement.
Shipley, 40, was described as stable after remaining hospitalized Tuesday night in Austin. The statement said a machine that he was operating near his hometown of Burnet caught fire. The former Texas great suffered “severe burns on his body.”
Shipley abruptly retired in 2012 after three NFL seasons primarily because of persistent concussion issues and chronic knee problems. He quickly transitioned to television shows that showcased his passion for deer hunting, co-hosting “The Bucks of Tecomate” and “Tecomate Whitetail Nation.”
“It was not hard at all,” Shipley said at the time of retiring at 27. “Only because I never saw myself as a football player first. Don’t get me wrong, I worked my tail off for football and I loved it but never saw that as my whole identity because I had such a big background in outdoors. Really, with this opportunity I had I was actually pretty excited about moving forward.”
Although he enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 with 52 receptions for 600 yards and three touchdowns, he is best remembered as a record-setting player at Texas.
Shipley starred as a receiver and a kick returner from 2006 to 2009, setting program single-season records in 2009 with 116 receptions and 1,489 yards. He also remains the career leader for receptions with 248 and ranks second in career receiving yards with 3,191, behind Roy Williams. Shipley also returned four punts or kickoffs for touchdowns.
After being drafted in the third round by the Bengals, he became one of the most popular players with Cincinnati fans, and his No. 11 jersey was worn by thousands. After a debilitating knee injury early in the 2011 season, he was never the same player, and he had short stints with Tampa Bay and Jacksonville before retiring.
According to his family, Jordan was operating a machine at his ranch when it caught fire. He managed to free himself from the machine, but “not before sustaining severe burns on his body in the process.” Jordan was airlifted to the hospital in Austin.
“He was able to get to one of his workers on the ranch, who drove him to a local hospital. He was then care-flighted to Austin, where he remains in critical but stable condition,” the statement said.
Shipley’s younger brother, former Texas wide receiver Jaxon Shipley, 33, asked for prayers in a statement on Instagram: “Please pray for full healing and no infections or other issues on his road to recovery. I don’t want to get into all the details, other than his life was spared today by the grace of God and the sheer will to live. I believe prayer is effective so I’m asking anyone and everyone to lift Jordan up in prayer.”
Sports
Tom Izzo explodes on former Michigan State player in wild scene: ‘What the f— are you doing?’
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Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has been known to get visibly angry with his players over his years in East Lansing, but what happened Monday night against USC was different.
Izzo let loose his frustration on a former player.
During the Spartans’ blowout over the Trojans, 80-51, Izzo was spotted unloading on former Michigan State center Paul Davis, who played for the team from 2002-06, after he caused a disturbance in the stands.
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Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a call during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena Jan. 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
Referees pointed out Davis, who was a spectator, from his courtside seat after he was among many in the building who disagreed with a call in the second half. Davis stood up and shouted at referee Jeffrey Anderson.
Anderson responded with a loud whistle, stopping play and pointing at Davis. Then, Anderson went over to Izzo to explain what happened, and the 70-year-old coach went ballistic.
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First, he was motioning toward Davis, and it was clear he asked his former center, “What the f— are you doing?”
Davis was met by someone asking him to leave his seat, and that’s when Izzo went nuts. He shouted “Get out of here!” at Davis, who appeared to gesture toward Izzo, perhaps in apology for disturbing the game.
Izzo was asked about Davis’ ejection after the game.
“What he said, he should never say anywhere in the world,” Izzo responded when asked what happened. “That ticked me off. So, just because it’s 25, 20 years later, I’m going to have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of it. And you know what he’ll say? ‘I screwed up, coach. I’m sorry.’”
Izzo quickly clarified that what Davis said “wasn’t something racial” and “it wasn’t something sexual.”
Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo protests a call that benefited the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center Dec. 2, 2025. (Dale Young/Imagn Images)
“It was just the wrong thing to say, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Davis later met with reporters Tuesday, apologizing for his actions.
“I’m not up here to make any excuses. I’m up here to take accountability, to own it,” Davis said. It was a mistake that will never happen again. It was a mistake that’s not me, but, unfortunately, last night it was.”
Izzo said Davis was one of his “favorite guys” during his time playing for the Spartans. He had a breakout sophomore campaign with 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and two assists per game in 30 starts for Izzo during the 2003-04 season.
Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena Jan. 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
In his senior year, Davis averaged 17.5 points, a career-high, in 33 games.
He was taken in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Davis played just four seasons in the league, his final one with the Washington Wizards.
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