Despite his off-field issues, Puka Nacua is still expected to earn a huge contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams. The team has not indicated that his recent stint in rehab or his biting accusations will affect his future with the franchise, and head coach Sean McVay said that he hopes Nacua is with the Rams for a long time.
It remains unclear when a Nacua extension will materialize and what it will look like, though. Reports back in March speculated that his new contract could take a while after the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a four-year, $168.6 million extension with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and there hasn’t been much movement on that front.
So, for now, there is only speculation.
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti offered up a new contract prediction and timeline for Nacua. He wrote that “off-field issues aside, Puka has produced at a level that should put him in the conversation to reset the WR market financially.” He predicted Nacua will sign a four-year, $175 million extension before training camp with more than $100 million guaranteed. That $43.75 million average annual value would top JSN’s $42.15 million AAV record.
Now, this is a bit higher than the last prediction touted by ESPN’s Dan Graziano back in January. He said he expects Nacua to sign a four-year, $156 million extension with $90 million guaranteed, which would put him third-highest behind Smith-Njigba and Ja’Marr Chase. Graziano made his prediction before Smith-Njigba’s new deal, so his market value is a bit outdated when it comes to Nacua.
The ideal scenario for the Rams is somewhere in the middle of Graziano’s and Ginnitti’s predictions. It’s a lot of money to pay a receiver either way, but Nacua has proven to be one of the best in the NFL in his three seasons. The Rams will likely wait to do anything, at least, until after the NFL draft and potentially not until training camp starts.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Cap expert predicts how much Puka Nacua’s next contract will be worth
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
