Puka Nacua gave the shortest possible answer to the biggest question hanging over the Los Angeles Rams‘ offseason. Asked at a Fanatics Fest appearance Saturday whether he is going to stay with the Rams, the receiver replied: “That’s the plan.” The exchange was captured in a post by Arye Pulli and reported by Turf Show Times’ Kenneth Arthur.
Three words do not settle a negotiation, but they are worth logging, because Nacua enters 2026 on the final season of his rookie contract — a deal that has paid one of the sport’s best receivers roughly $1 million a year. The gap between that number and his market is enormous. Turf Show Times projects a new Nacua contract could run past $40 million annually, possibly $45 million, with close to $100 million guaranteed.
The production supports the price. Nacua led the NFL with 129 catches last season, and league insiders voted him the No. 4 receiver in ESPN’s annual survey of executives, coaches and scouts released last week — with roughly 85 percent of voters placing him in their top five. Receivers with that resume entering a contract year almost never reach free agency, and the Rams hold the standard fallback: a franchise tag in 2027. Per Turf Show Times, that is an outcome both sides would prefer to avoid.
The calendar is the thing to watch. Rams front-office executive Tony Pastoors has said the team traditionally closes extensions around the start of training camp, and veterans report July 25. Los Angeles has already shown this offseason what it does when a price gets uncomfortable — it paid up for Myles Garrett rather than nibble at the edges — and Nacua’s camp knows the receiver market only moves one direction.
“That’s the plan” is what a player says when he wants to stay and expects to be paid like it. The next month tells us whether the Rams read it the same way.
