Cooper Kupp hits open market and Aaron Rodgers set to follow as NFL kicks off league year

The NFL league year kicked off Wednesday with one former Super Bowl MVP hitting the open market and another on the way there.

The Los Angeles Rams cut receiver Cooper Kupp just days after signing Davante Adams to be his replacement and the New York Jets were expected to officially release quarterback Aaron Rodgers following a failed two-year stint.

The Rams cut Kupp after being unable to find a trade partner for the 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Kupp announced last month that the Rams were trying to trade him despite his desire to remain with the team. But with him being owed $20 million this upcoming season, no other team was willing to make a trade.

Kupp. won the receiving triple crown and Super Bowl MVP in the 2021 season when he caught 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Kupp added 33 catches for 478 yards and six TDs in the postseason, including the game-winning touchdown in a Super Bowl win over Cincinnati on the Rams' home field.

But Kupp’s production tailed off in the past three seasons. He hasn't played more than 12 games in any season during that stretch because of injuries and hasn’t had 900 yards receiving in any season.

The Jets told Rodgers last month that they are going in a different direction at quarterback for 2025 and agreed to a deal with Justin Fields earlier in the week.

A handful of teams could still be in search of a starting quarterback, including the New York Giants, Pittsburgh and possibly Minnesota if the Vikings aren't ready to turn the offense over to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.

The Jets acquired Rodgers in a trade from Green Bay in April 2023 in hopes of winning a Super Bowl for the first time since after the 1968 season.

The four-time MVP's first season in New York ended just four snaps into his debut because of a torn left Achilles tendon that sank the Jets’ Super Bowl hopes that were stirred by the QB’s arrival.

He worked his way back to the field to start every game this past season, but he and the offense struggled with consistency and results as New York finished 5-12. Rodgers threw for 28 touchdowns and 3,897 yards but lacked some mobility in his return from the injury.

— Safety Damar Hamlin is returning to Buffalo, and the Bills also continued restocking their defensive front by agreeing to sign tackle Larry Ogunjobi. The Bills announced reaching an agreement to sign Hamlin to a one-year contract. A person with knowledge of the deal, meantime, confirmed Ogunjobi agreed to a one-year contract that includes $8 million guaranteed. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the agreement hadn't been signed.

— Six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay is heading to the other side of Pennsylvania. The veteran cornerback, who won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia last month, is signing a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a person with knowledge of the agreement said on condition of anonymity because it was not made public.

— Seattle filled two big holes by agreeing to a one-deal worth up to $5.5 million with speedy receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and a three-year, $42 million contract with former Dallas pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence. The Seahawks were in dire need of adding receivers after releasing Tyler Lockett in a cost-cutting move last week and agreeing to a trade to send D.K. Metcalf to Pittsburgh. The Seahawks also needed help on the defensive front after releasing Dre’Mont Jones and Roy Robertson-Harris last week.

— The Minnesota Vikings made another major move on interior redesign, agreeing to terms with two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Javon Hargrave on a two-year, $30 million contract with $19 million guaranteed, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus. The agreement followed Hargrave’s release by the San Francisco 49ers. He played in only three games for them in 2024 before suffering a torn triceps muscle that required surgery.

— Cleveland and defensive tackle Maliek Collins agreed on a two-year, $20 million contract that includes $13 million fully guaranteed, Rosenhaus told the AP. Collins started 17 games for the 49ers after spending his first eight seasons with Dallas, Houston and Las Vegas. Collins, who turns 30 next month, has 30 1/2 sacks, including five last season.

— Tight end Evan Engram and the Denver Broncos agreed on a two-year, $23 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the move. Engram’s deal includes $16.5 million guaranteed.

— Guard Kevin Zeitler and Tennessee agreed on a one-year, $9 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal said on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the move.

— Detroit and run-stuffing defensive tackle Roy Lopez agreed to a $4.65 million, one-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal said on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. Lopez gives Detroit’s defense another tackle with four years of experience, joining veterans Alim McNeill and DJ Reader, to bolster a line that was hit hard by injuries last season.

— Quarterback Mac Jones will finally join the 49ers four years after the team nearly drafted him third overall. Jones agreed to a two-year deal worth $7 million with $5 million guaranteed to join the Niners, a person familiar with the deal said on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced.

— Washington retained veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota to back up Jayden Daniels. The Commanders agreed to re-sign Mariota on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been signed.

The Cowboys made two trades on Wednesday. Dallas acquired linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. from Tennessee, a person with knowledge of the deal said on condition of anonymity because the deal was still being finalized. The Cowboys are also getting a seventh-round draft pick this year while sending a sixth-rounder to the Titans.

The Cowboys also acquired cornerback Kaiir Elam from Buffalo, adding depth to a position with some questions as the Bills decided to move on from their 2022 first-round draft pick. The Bills acquired two draft picks — a 2025 fifth-round selection and a 2026 seventh-rounder — while giving up a 2025 sixth-round choice to the Cowboys.

AP Pro Football Writers Schuyler Dixon, Rob Maaddi and Dennis Waszak Jr., and AP Sports Writers Will Graves, Larry Lage, John Wawrow and Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. in action against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)

FILE - Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) is brought down by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the first half of an NFL football divisional playoff game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes, file)

FILE - San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (98) celebrates after sacking Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford during the first half of an NFL football game, Sept. 22, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)

FILE - Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) walks on the sideline during an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A launch pad problem prompted SpaceX to delay a flight to the International Space Station on Wednesday to replace NASA's two stuck astronauts.

The new crew needs to get to the International Space Station before Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can head home after nine months in orbit.

Concerns over a critical hydraulic system arose less than four hours before the Falcon rocket's planned evening liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. As the countdown clocks ticked down, engineers evaluated the hydraulics used to release one of the two arms clamping the rocket to its support structure. This structure needs to tilt back right before liftoff.

Already strapped into their capsule, the four astronauts awaited a final decision, which came down with less than an hour remaining in the countdown. SpaceX canceled for the day. Officials later said the launch was off until at least Friday.

Once at the space station, the U.S., Japanese and Russian crew will replace Wilmore and Williams, who have been up there since June. The two test pilots had to move into the space station for an extended stay after Boeing's new Starliner capsule encountered major breakdowns in transit.

Starliner's debut crew flight was supposed to last just a week, but NASA ordered the capsule to return empty and transferred Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX for the return leg.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Crew 10, from left, cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, astronaut Nichole Ayers, astronaut Anne McClain and JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi leave the Operations and Checkout building before heading to Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for a mission to the International Space Station, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Crew 10, from left, cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, astronaut Nichole Ayers, astronaut Anne McClain and JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi leave the Operations and Checkout building before heading to Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for a mission to the International Space Station, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft scrubbed prior to liftoff for a mission to the International Space Station from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)