WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. \u2014 Puka Nacua is back in the Los Angeles Rams\u2019 facility.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s back from a trip to a holistic care facility, back to running routes and holding conversations about his life off the field. Back to trying to prove he can be a face-of-the-franchise player.<\/p>\n
Nacua is heading into a contract year, the last of a four-year deal worth $4.1 million he signed as a fifth-round pick in 2023. This offseason could bring so much more his way \u2014 including a deal in the neighborhood of the one Jaxon Smith-Njigba recently signed<\/a> with the Seattle Seahawks for four years and $168.6 million.<\/p>\n But Nacua, who turns 25 on Friday, isn\u2019t there yet. Growth takes time, and that\u2019s become the basis of this critical spring.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the things I feel like I\u2019ve learned is it\u2019s OK to ask for support and to recognize that the platform that I have, being a professional football player,\u201d Nacua said. \u201cAnd trying to use that for the betterment of myself and for those around me, and the people that have supported me.\u201d<\/p>\n Nacua needed an intervention this spring after an All-Pro season on the field came with a string of distractions and headaches off it. On the field, the third-year wide receiver led the NFL with 129 receptions and 107.2 receiving yards per game, falling just behind Smith-Njigba for the league\u2019s receiving yards title.<\/p>\n Off it, he found himself in several distracting situations, from trying to sneak live streamers into a practice against coach Sean McVay\u2019s wishes to getting fined by the NFL for criticizing officials<\/a> to releasing an apology<\/a> for a touchdown dance with antisemitic undertones he practiced on video to facing a lawsuit alleging<\/a> he bit a woman and shouted antisemitic remarks while allegedly intoxicated on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n The alleged New Year\u2019s Eve incident, which came mere weeks after the live stream one, became the tipping point to seek out help and a new way. Nacua checked himself into a holistic care facility<\/a> ahead of the Rams\u2019 offseason program.<\/p>\n Nacua declined to speak specifically about the incident because the lawsuit is still active, though the plaintiff\u2019s request for a restraining order has been dropped. He did acknowledge that it was a sign that something needed to change.<\/p>\n \u201cA moment for me to learn from kind of some of the situations I was putting myself in and then also having just an awareness of how I\u2019m conducting myself,\u201d Nacua said.<\/p>\n Now that he\u2019s through the holistic care program, he\u2019s seeking out therapy with the Rams to work through the emotions and challenges that led to negative headlines.<\/p>\n \u201cMost importantly, you want to be there. You want to help him continue to grow,\u201d McVay said of supporting Nacua. \u201cCertainly, nobody\u2019s perfect. I know I wasn\u2019t. I had a lot of people that put their arm around me and helped guide me along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I\u2019ve consistently said, I love this kid\u2019s heart.\u201d<\/p>\n With Nacua engaging that support, teammates are trying to provide theirs as well. They know how important Nacua is to their goals of hoisting another Super Bowl trophy at SoFi Stadium next February, as well as for the future of a Rams franchise that is built through the passing game but has Stafford and fellow All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams at ages 38 and 33, respectively.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy for his success and his work to get back out here and play the game he loves,\u201d Stafford said. \u201cAs far as conversations, absolutely, I\u2019m talking nonstop to him. He\u2019s a great person and a great kid. I\u2019m trying to give advice when it\u2019s needed and also to just be his buddy, too. I\u2019m trying to do everything I can \u2014 and I think everyone is \u2014 to just support him.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rams are betting on the person they know to overcome the habits that led to a league fine and a lawsuit alleging misconduct. They are banking on growth in a young father who has a chance to set himself and his family up for life with a new contract \u2014 one he\u2019ll earn if he can prove he\u2019s worthy of being the face of the franchise in a post-Stafford world.<\/p>\n Nacua loves to live in the moment, and he\u2019s trying to do that with these practices ahead of a contract year. But he knows what\u2019s at stake and what could be in store, and that\u2019s driving his actions now.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about continuing on the routine and habits I\u2019ve established for myself this offseason,\u201d Nacua said. \u201cThe consistency, the physicality that I play the game of football with is something I pride myself on. I don\u2019t see that changing anytime soon. It\u2019s just understanding and developing as a wide receiver.\u201d<\/p>\n Nacua is one of seven Rams players entering contract years who were ranked in The Athletic\u2019s top 30 free agents for 2027<\/a>. The Rams have since signed one of those players, as Stafford just negotiated a one-year extension<\/a> on a deal that was set to end after this season. They also signed All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to a four-year extension that makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history at $31 million per season.<\/p>\n It leaves Nacua along with defensive lineman Kobie Turner, outside linebacker Byron Young, guards Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson, and Adams, all working to land the next extension. Add in other starters in contract years, such as right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. and center Coleman Shelton, and it could mean one of these players winds up playing on the franchise tag next season.<\/p>\n Nacua has the most leverage because of the position he plays, his age and his All-Pro status. If the Rams decide against handing him a major extension, it\u2019s likely another team would do so in a passing league where teams are constantly looking for instant lifelines for young quarterbacks to throw to. And so, in a way, Nacua is auditioning for all 32 teams this season.<\/p>\n But make no mistake: The best version of the dream is signing that extension here, with the Rams, the team that found him in the fifth round and has a chance to win a Super Bowl this season.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine myself playing anywhere else,\u201d Nacua said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. \u2014 Puka Nacua is back in the Los Angeles Rams\u2019 facility. 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