PHOENIX — Rams coach Sean McVay could not help repeating himself when asked about star receiver Puka Nacua.
“I trust this kid’s heart,” McVay said three times Monday at the NFL owners meetings.
But do the Rams trust Nacua, who has been at the center of several off-the-field situations, enough to break the bank with a massive extension?
Last week, a woman filed a civil lawsuit against Nacua, alleging that on New Year’s Eve he made an antisemitic statement during a group dinner and later bit her shoulder. Nacua’s attorney told The Times before the lawsuit was filed that Nacua “denies these allegations in the strongest possible terms,” and that Nacua would “pursue all available legal remedies in response to these false and damaging statements.”
Last season during a livestream, Nacua criticized NFL officials and made a gesture regarded as antisemitic. Nacua apologized, and the Rams and the NFL issued statements condemning antisemitism and discrimination. But after the Rams’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Nacua criticized officials in a social media post from the locker room. The NFL fined him $25,000.
Last week the Seahawks signed receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a record-breaking extension that includes $120 million in guarantees, putting Nacua in line to possibly match or exceed that deal.
If Nacua’s off-the-field actions become a pattern that does not reflect well on the organization, are the Rams hesitant to invest in the 24-year-old star who led the NFL with 129 catches?
“The play on the field is amazing, and then with what the play has dictated and determined there is a responsibility in terms of representing all things not exclusive to just that,” McVay said. “He knows that, those are expectations and we are hopeful that … this will be an opportunity for him to learn and grow, and we are hopeful that he’s a Ram for a really long time.
“But he understands what the responsibility is, not exclusive to just the production on the field.”
Nacua was one of several topics McVay addressed during a 30-minute session with reporters.
With the return of quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player, and the addition of star cornerback Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, the Rams are expected to be a favorite to play in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams traded for McDuffie, an All-Pro who won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, to a four-year extension that includes $100 million in guarantees, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
McVay said McDuffie “can do a lot of things” that made Jalen Ramsey such a force when he helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI.
“He’s rare,” McVay said of McDuffie. “And then he’s a rare human. … You can’t find anybody that doesn’t love this guy and what he represents.”
Like McDuffie, his former Chiefs teammate, Watson has played in three Super Bowls, winning two titles.
“He’s been in a lot of big-time atmospheres and environments,” McVay said of the 6-foot, 2-inch Watson, “and he’s got some of the length.”
McDuffie and Watson join a secondary that includes safety Quentin Lake, who signed an extension in January, and safety Kam Curl, who re-signed with the Rams this month.
The secondary was not the only position group the Rams considered remodeling.
McVay confirmed a report that the Rams explored trading receiver Davante Adams, who led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.
“If we felt like it was best for our team, we would have done that,” McVay said, “but we didn’t think it was best for our team, so excited about being able to move forward with him.”
McVay said he spoke directly with Adams about the situation.
“I addressed what those conversations were even though they never really got too far but I did want to acknowledge it,” McVay said. “He’s a grown man, and I think he understood that this is a part of this business.”
McVay said he would “love” for Jimmy Garoppolo to return as Stafford’s backup. But Garoppolo remains a free agent.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins prepares to take a snap against the Rams in December.
(Danny Karnik / Associated Press)
“At this point, when there hasn’t been a decision, it feels less likely than likely, but I don’t want to rule that out,” McVay said of Garoppolo’s possible return for a third season with the Rams.
McVay said that he has communicated with Kirk Cousins and his agent about possibly signing with the Rams. McVay coached Cousins in the NFL with Washington.
“He’s a guy that I have familiarity with, history and a lot of reverence for because of the gratitude from our experiences together.”
Staff writer Steve Henson contributed to this report.