Jeremy Fowler’s latest reporting suggests the Los Angeles Rams may be taking a surprising approach with one of the most important contract decisions in franchise history: Puka Nacua’s next deal.
Following the blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett, Fowler reported on X that the Rams are currently not expected to extend any of their key 2027 free agents this summer, including Nacua, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and Steve Avila.
“Sources say L.A. is giving early impressions it won’t extend 2027 FAs Puka Nacua, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Steve Avila this summer,” Fowler wrote. “Perhaps that changes but deals are not on the radar right now.”
For Rams fans, Nacua is the name that immediately stands out.
The former fifth-round pick has developed into one of the NFL’s elite receivers and is coming off a historic 2025 campaign. Nacua led the league in receptions with 129 catches while posting 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, earning First-Team All-Pro honors. Through just 44 career games, he has already accumulated 313 receptions, 4,191 receiving yards, and 19 touchdowns.
Under normal circumstances, those numbers would make an extension a top priority.
However, the Rams have significantly reshaped their financial outlook this offseason. In addition to acquiring Garrett and the remainder of his contract through 2030, Los Angeles has also committed major money to quarterback Matthew Stafford and recently made Trent McDuffie the league’s highest-paid cornerback
According to Over the Cap, those three players currently represent $68.2 million against the cap, with McDuffie and Garrett set to become even more expensive in 2027. The Rams now sit at $16.3 million in cap space with plenty of bills set to come due in next year.
Nacua’s off the field issues have also created some hesitation within the Rams building. The Athletic reported the team brass want to see “a pattern of strong behavior” before fully committing to a deal that could exceed $170 million.
While Nacua is the marquee name among the players named, the others have all been year-one starters for the Rams.
Since being drafted in 2023, Steve Avila, Kobie Turner, and Byron Young quickly become core contributors for the Rams, consistently handling major snap workloads on both sides of the ball.
Avila has been a fixture on the offensive line when healthy, playing over 80 percent of offensive snaps in 2025 after an injury-limited 2024 and essentially starting from day one as a rookie.
On defense, Turner has operated as a high-volume interior lineman and was named a team captain in just his second year on the team while Young has been even more heavily relied upon off the edge, topping the team last season with 12 sacks.
The Rams are no stranger to moving on from key starters and fan favorites, most recently on display by including Jared Verse in this trade, but also includes names such as; Cooper Kupp, Ernest Jones and Jared Goff.
Financial realities will always dictate roster construction, and even teams known for salary cap wizardry are not immune to those hard decisions. In this light, the likelihood of the Rams retaining all four of these players seems impossible regardless of when they start negotiations.
