![\"Puka](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2256625662_bf6102-e1790341724885.jpg\")
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Emmanuel Acho on Puka Nacua injury<\/p>\n
Puka Nacua enters the final year of his rookie contract with the Los Angeles Rams<\/a>. The wide receiver has quickly established himself as one of the team\u2019s most productive offensive players since entering the NFL<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nacua\u2019s production has placed him in a strong position heading into the final season of his current deal. At the same time, the Rams must weigh his availability and other factors as they consider his long-term future.<\/p>\n The situation remains important as Nacua works to return to the field. Los Angeles also has several other offensive weapons capable of carrying a larger workload when he is unavailable.<\/p>\n Emmanuel Acho Raises Concerns About Puka Nacua Contract Case<\/p>\n Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho believes Puka Nacua\u2019s injury concerns and alleged offseason issues could weaken his position in contract negotiations.<\/p>\n Acho pointed to the combination of Nacua\u2019s current injury situation and allegations surrounding his offseason. He argued that the two factors could make it harder for Nacua to secure the type of contract his production might otherwise command.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s why he can\u2019t afford it. You have to pick a struggle. Either be a distraction off of the field or be partially hurt, but you can\u2019t be both. You can\u2019t have the offseason that Puka Nacua had, allegedly bit a woman \u2026 You allegedly had to check yourself into rehab, and now you have physical ailments \u2026 You can\u2019t struggle with everything at the same time \u2026 It\u2019s a contract year, so this is terrible for Puka,\u201d Acho said<\/a> in an episode of his \u201cThe Speak Easy\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n The allegations mentioned by Acho have not been established as facts in the supplied reports. The unresolved off-field situation could complicate Nacua\u2019s negotiations with the Rams if disciplinary action is taken.<\/p>\n Nacua is scheduled<\/a> to make $5.767 million in 2026. Meanwhile, Jaxon Smith-Njigba\u2019s new contract carries a $42.15 million average annual value, providing a major benchmark for the receiver market.<\/p>\n The Rams have not announced an extension for Nacua. Sean McVay previously said there was no specific timeline for a new deal.<\/p>\n Puka Nacua Injury Adds Another Contract Concern<\/p>\n Nacua\u2019s immediate focus is on his recovery after missing the Rams\u2019 Week 2 game against the New York Giants<\/a> with a groin injury.<\/p>\n The receiver played in Los Angeles\u2019 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers<\/a>, recording five catches for 74 yards. He then missed the Week 2 victory as the Rams managed 481 total yards in a 28-6 win.<\/p>\n Sean McVay provided<\/a> an update on Nacua ahead of Week 3. His comments did not clearly indicate that the receiver would return immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d McVay said. \u201cYou know, he\u2019s not making great progress. We\u2019d love to welcome Puka back with open arms, but if [he\u2019s not ready] I have a ton of confidence in the group that we will go with if he doesn\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n McVay has also indicated that the Rams do not view Nacua\u2019s injury as a long-term issue. The team has continued to monitor his condition as it prepares for its next game.<\/p>\n Los Angeles showed it can produce without Nacua. Davante Adams caught eight passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants, while rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson added six receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown.<\/p>\n Still, Nacua remains an important part of the Rams\u2019 offense. His health could therefore remain a key factor as Los Angeles considers his future and prepares for the rest of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDebayan Biswas<\/a> Debayan Biswas is a sports writer at Heavy Sports covering NBA, NFL, Soccer, and Golf. His work has been syndicated on Yahoo Sports, Yardbarker, Flipboard, The Sun News, and The Olympian. Previously, he contributed to Athlon Sports, EssentiallySports, and PFSN. More about Debayan Biswas<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Emmanuel Acho on Puka Nacua injury Puka Nacua enters the final year of his rookie contract with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1010461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2079],"tags":[7,1014,58,2444,2611,6,424],"class_list":["post-1010460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-rams","tag-football","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesrams","tag-nfl","tag-rams"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117332281313144426","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1010460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1010461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1010460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1010460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1010460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}