With Rams receiver Puka Nacua potentially missing a second straight game with a groin injury, questions linger about when he will return.
And now it’s impossible not to wonder if the lack of a new contract is contributing to the situation.
Nacua is making $5.767 million in the final year of his rookie deal. Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who came to the NFL the same year as Nacua, got his second deal, at $42.15 million per year. Yes, Nacua’s contract has been delayed due to his off-field issues. But with no financial security beyond this year, Nacua certainly doesn’t want to risk aggravating the injury and missing more time. Also, he doesn’t want to perform in a way that detracts from the perception that he deserves to be paid among the best in the league at the position.
Those dynamics are hidden in the latest update from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He reported that Nacua “may be back as soon as next week,” but the groin issue “affected his explosiveness.”
The main observation is this — Nacua “functionally” can play, “but he does not feel that he can play with the same explosion that he has in the past.”
In other words, he doesn’t want to cut a contract year short by not playing explosively.
The team, according to Schefter, doesn’t believe surgery will be necessary, but it’s “not completely off the table.”
It’s not a hold-in, per se. It seems like a real injury, combining a desire not to make it worse and a goal to play as long as he can play, when he plays.
Here’s the bottom line — Nacua will likely play if he has his second deal and the security that comes with it.