Are Broncos interested in Cooper Kupp? Depends who you ask

The notion of Cooper Kupp and the Denver Broncos having some degree of mutual interest percolated throughout social media Thursday, and that had Broncos fans abuzz at the notion of adding the former 1900-yard receiver hopping aboard Sean Payton’s offense — even after being cut by the Los Angeles Rams following three seasons in which he missed at least five games in each campaign due to injury.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter went on SportsCenter and named the Broncos as one of three teams to watch regarding Kupp. Later on Thursday, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz described the Broncos as “firmly” in the mix for Kupp “along with at least four other teams.”

As Cooper Kupp evaluates his options, sources say he will get the number he wants, despite a slow receiver market.

The #Broncos are firmly in the mix, along with at least four other teams. https://t.co/t45J8brB0j

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 13, 2025

But Thursday night brought something different.

ON THE OTHER HAND REGARDING COOPER KUPP …

… there is Dianna Russini of The Athletic, who on her Scoop City podcast with former Sean Payton backup quarterback Chase Daniel asserted that the Broncos were not among the teams interested in the services of the ex-Rams wide receiver.

That surprised Daniel.

“Why not the Broncos?” he asked.

“I think they just are valuing different players at this moment,” Russini replied.

“They don’t really have anyone — outside Courtland Sutton, like, I feel like a one-two punch in Sean Payton’s offense would make sense,” Daniel countered.

On the Scoop City podcast, @DMRussini tells @ChaseDaniel that the Broncos "are not in on the Cooper Kupp market."

"I've never gotten the sense that wide receiver was on the top of the Denver Broncos' wish list of players they were trying to bring in this offseason outside of the… pic.twitter.com/NNq7AFTsHK

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 14, 2025

Replied Russini: “I don’t know who they’re waiting for unless he thinks that he can draft somebody. I’ve never gotten the sense that wide receiver was on the top of the Denver Broncos’ wish list of players they were trying to bring in this offseason outside of the draft. So, we’ll see what what moves they make there.”

And as Thursday night ended, the NFL remained in wait-and-see mode regarding Cooper Kupp, the NFL’s 2021 Offensive Player of the Year.

DOES IT EVEN MAKE SENSE TO BRING IN COOPER KUPP?

When Broncos coach Sean Payton sat down with Kay Adams during Super Bowl week, he identified veteran receiver as a “need,” but not at the top of the list in “must haves.”

Further, he spoke of how much he liked the team’s young receiving corps, which includes three players drafted in the last two years who finished the season on the 53-player roster: 2023 selection Marvin Mims Jr. and 2024 picks Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele.

Mims in particular earned Payton’s praise.

“I would say one player that we saw grow exponentially this year would be Marvin Mims,” Payton said. “We saw him as a great returner a year ago, a Pro Bowl returner, and there was a series of games this year where this player as a receiver just got better and better and better.”

The key part of that is “as a receiver.” For Mims to continue improving there, he must get snaps.

Adding Cooper Kupp would take away snaps from Mims, Vele and Franklin, who need them to continue developing. And that’s the conundrum of adding veterans in free agency.

At linebacker, the Broncos had a 2023 draft pick in Drew Sanders, but injuries stalled his development. So, they went all-in on Dre Greenlaw. The movie to add Evan Engram came only after years of trying to kick-start Greg Dulcich reached a dead end.

Denver isn’t there with its receivers. That would make adding Cooper Kupp an awkward — if tantalizing — fit.

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