Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua left practice early on August 11, 2026, with an undisclosed injury just hours before ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the NFL is still weighing possible discipline against him under its personal conduct policy. The 25-year-old, coming off a league-leading 129-catch, AP First-Team All-Pro season, now enters the final year of his rookie contract facing three unresolved questions at once: his health, a looming suspension decision, and a stalled contract extension.
Key Takeaways
- Puka Nacua exited an August 11 joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys alongside Rams senior VP of sports medicine Reggie Scott; coach Sean McVay said he had no details on the cause.
- The NFL is reviewing Nacua under its personal conduct policy over a pending civil lawsuit and two 2025 livestream incidents; a suspension could keep him out of the September 10 season opener in Australia.
- Nacua earned AP First-Team All-Pro honors for the 2025 season and his second career Pro Bowl selection after leading the NFL with 129 receptions.
- He is playing on a roughly $5.8 million cap charge in the final year of his rookie deal, with an extension now unlikely before the 2027 offseason.
What Happened at Practice
The Rams and Cowboys held a joint training camp session at the Rams’ facility on August 11. Puka Nacua did not finish the workout, leaving the field with athletic training staff. McVay told reporters afterward that he did not know what caused Puka Nacua to leave and had no further update. Quarterback Matthew Stafford said he did not see the moment happen but noted trainers did not appear to react with urgency.
No team statement has confirmed the injury’s location or severity, and reporting has not gone beyond describing it as an apparent injury issue. The Rams have not issued a formal injury designation, and Puka Nacua participation in the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on August 15 remains unclear.
Puka Nacua has missed time before. He sat out six games in 2024 with a Grade 2 PCL sprain in his right knee and missed one game in 2025 with an ankle sprain suffered against the Baltimore Ravens. Independent fantasy injury analysts at Draft Sharks had already tagged him a medium injury risk for 2026, projecting roughly a 51% chance of missed time and an average of 2.2 games lost, before this latest incident.
The timing raises the stakes: the regular season opens September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the NFL’s first regular-season game held in Australia.
NFL Suspension Review Remains Unresolved
Separate from the injury, the NFL continues to review Nacua under its personal conduct policy. Speaking on his podcast on August 11, Schefter said a suspension remains “within the realm of options,” and that Nacua could miss the season-opening game against the 49ers. No discipline had been announced as of August 12.
The review traces back to a chain of incidents:
- December 2025 livestream comments: Puka Nacua criticized NFL officials during a livestream, saying referees call penalties to get on television. The league fined him $25,000 and suspended him for Week 17.
- December 2025 touchdown gesture: A separate celebration gesture drew criticism as antisemitic. Nacua apologized publicly, saying he did not understand its meaning at the time.
- March 2026 civil lawsuit: Madison Atiabi filed a civil suit alleging Nacua bit her shoulder and bit her friend’s thumb during a New Year’s Eve gathering in Century City, and that he made an antisemitic remark that night. Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern, denied the antisemitic allegation, calling it a fabrication backed by sober witnesses, while later court filings acknowledged a bite occurred, characterized as horseplay.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied Atiabi’s request for a temporary restraining order in March. The city attorney’s office has signaled the related misdemeanor battery matter may be resolved through pre-filing diversion, which lets eligible defendants avoid prosecution. The underlying civil suit, alleging gender violence, assault and battery, and negligence, remains active. McCathern has said Puka Nacua voluntarily entered a private treatment facility in early March, completing the program before the Rams’ spring organized team activities. The NFL confirmed in April that matters involving Nacua remained under review, without specifying whether that covered the lawsuit, the treatment stay, or both.
Under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, a first violation involving assault or battery carries a baseline suspension of six games without pay, subject to mitigating or aggravating factors meaning that even a finding short of criminal conviction could sideline Nacua well beyond the Australia opener if the league determines a violation occurred.
Contract Talks Stall as Deadline Approaches
Puka Nacua is entering the final year of his rookie contract, carrying a 2026 salary cap charge of roughly $5.8 million. He changed representation in early August, moving from Athletes First to Win Sports Group, positioning himself for free-agent-caliber leverage.
Negotiations grew more complicated after the Seattle Seahawks signed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March, averaging $42.15 million per season and resetting the receiver market. League insiders report the Rams have several other young players needing new deals, which could slow talks, and that the team is not rushing to reach an agreement with Nacua. General manager Les Snead has declined to discuss extension talks in detail, saying only that Nacua is “in a great spot.” Reporting in late July indicated a deal is unlikely before the 2026 season starts, with negotiations more probable in the 2027 offseason. One financial projection has floated a four-year, $160 million extension averaging $40 million annually a market projection, not a confirmed offer, and no extension has been signed as of August 12, 2026.
Nacua has said he never considered holding out of training camp, describing football as “a safe place” for him amid his off-field issues.
On-Field Production and Playing Style Remain Elite
Nacua’s play has not wavered despite the surrounding turbulence. In 2025, he led the NFL with 129 receptions, ranked second in the league with 1,715 receiving yards, and tied for third with 10 touchdowns, while gaining 80 first downs. That performance earned him AP First-Team All-Pro honors and his second career Pro Bowl selection, after his rookie season had earned him AP Second-Team All-Pro recognition. In the 2025 playoffs, he added 24 receptions for 332 yards and two touchdowns.
He operates as both a boundary and slot receiver, excelling in contested-catch situations and absorbing contact in traffic with a physical, running-back-like approach after the catch. His route tree crossing routes, dig routes, and screens fits naturally into Sean McVay’s scheme.
| Season | Games | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17 | 105 | 1,486 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 79 | 990 | 3 |
| 2025 | 16 | 129 | 1,715 | 10 |
| Career | 44 | 313 | 4,191 | 19 |
Puka Nacua entered the league as a fifth-round pick, selected 177th overall by the Rams in the 2023 draft out of BYU. His rookie season broke NFL records for most receptions by a rookie (105) and most receiving yards by a rookie (1,486), and included single-game rookie records of 15 catches and 181 yards against the 49ers in Week 2 of 2023.
Born Makea Nacua in Las Vegas, he earned the nickname “Puka” from his Samoan heritage and set state receiving records at Orem High School in Utah. He began his college career at Washington in 2019 before transferring to BYU in 2021 to join his brother Samson Nacua, where he posted back-to-back productive seasons despite recurring injuries. The Rams have since built a deep receiving corps around him, adding Davante Adams alongside quarterback Matthew Stafford, with former teammate Cooper Kupp credited with mentoring Puka Nacua route-running development.
What to Watch Next
Three unresolved questions will shape Nacua’s 2026 season:
- Whether the Rams disclose a diagnosis for the injury that ended his August 11 practice early, likely signaled by his availability against the Chiefs on August 15.
- Whether the NFL issues a suspension ruling before the September 10 opener against the 49ers in Melbourne.
- Whether contract talks progress before the season or slide into the 2027 offseason, as recent reporting suggests is likely.
No new contract has been signed, no suspension has been confirmed, and the cause of the August 11 practice departure remains undisclosed as of this writing.
