PHOENIX — The Rams have every reason to want to make Puka Nacua the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. Not the least of which is that it will mean one of the game’s most productive young players will remain right where he belongs: in Los Angeles, at Sofi Stadium, wearing a Rams jersey for years to come.

Rams head coach Sean McVay wants that to happen. So does general manager Les Snead. Everyone in the club’s building shares that sentiment. So does every Rams fan.

As a fifth-round pick out of BYU who sprung out of nowhere to become one of the most exciting players in the NFL, Nacua is that very rare and elusive jewel. A diamond in the rough, if you will, who, through sheer will and the developmental powers of the Rams, now stands shoulder to shoulder with the best players in the game.

Anyone who had a hand or played a role in his glorious ascent deserves to take a bow. From the area scout that poured hours into his evaluation to every coach who helped develop him, right on up to Snead, McVay, and Nacua himself, he is the epitome of an organizational home run.

Teams gladly write big checks for home-grown success stories like that. And after Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba just reset the market as the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, Rams owner Stan Kroenke, Snead, and McVay are all too willing to make sure Nacua tops the $168.6 million the Seahawks are paying Smith-Njigba, including $120.6 fully guaranteed.

Quite frankly, though, that’s all up to Nacua. The ball is in his court. And it’s on him to prove he’s worthy of the investment.

It essentially comes down to who Nacua wants to be? The guy who got everything he ever worked hard for, including life-chaging money that will affect generations family members to come, and lived happily ever after?

Or a cautiouany tale of a young man who squandered it all?

This has nothing to do with Nacua’s talent on the football field. In three short seasons, Nacua has established himself as one of a select group of players that can alter the outcome of a game.

Off the field, it’s been a different story recently, with Nacua’s decision-making landing him in just enough hot water to make you wonder how ready he is to uphold the responsibility that comes with being one of the NFL’s highest-paid players.

That includes a New Year’s Eve incident in which he allegedly bit a woman and made anti-Semitic comments. The woman has filed a civil lawsuit against the record-breaking wide receiver as a result.

Yes, the Rams are willing to open the vault to make sure Nacua remains in Los Angeles for years to come, at a price that will blow the roof off the wide receiver market.

But the incredible investment the club is prepared to make is the very reason they need to assurances that Nacua’s recent issues are just a short-term blip on the screen.

When it comes to the hundred-plus million dollars they are about to pay him, they need trust him to be every bit as dependable off the field as he is on it.

That might take some time. And it might include the Rams taking a wait-and-see attitude before giving him a new deal. In fact, it might make sense for the Rams to let next season play out before sitting back down with Nacua and talking about a long-term contract.

That might seem harsh. But maybe that is exactly what Nacua needs to understand what is truly important in his life, and what could be at stake if his recent decision-making becomes a trend rather than a temporary phase.

Speaking at the NFL’s annual league meetings in Phoenix on Monday, McVay said the club has known about the New Year’s Eve incident for a few months and will sort out all the details before speaking about it in detail.

McVay also made it clear that he has his wide receivers back. Now more than ever, with Nacua treading in some surprisingly troubled waters.

Hence, the support McVay expressed for Nacua, a player he has grown especially close to over the last three years, on Monday.

Falling back on the up-close view McVay has of Nacua the human being, including a heart as big as Los Angeles, the Rams coach believes Nacua will successfully navigate the choppy waters he finds himself in and maybe even be better off for it.

And he’s here to help him any way he can.

“What I will say, knowing this guy for three years, is, I do trust his heart. I trust the human being,” McVay said. “And I want to be able to put my arm around him. I think one of the most important things that you can do as a coach is help guys grow, and you don’t ever really say there’s one size that fits all. But what I have really leaned into the last couple of years that I think you guys can feel is, let’s build and develop relationships. Let’s help guys continue to grow.”

That said, McVay also concedes the importance of Nacua being aware of the responsibilities of playing professional football on a high-profile team. And the importance of disciplined decision-making. Especially with life barreling at him a million miles per minute.

It’s a reminder McVay delivers to Nacua in conversations that frequently fluctuate between coach and player and father-figure and son.

“Let’s have an understanding of what the expectations are and who you can become and who you want to become,” McVay said. “And I think that we’re very aligned in that.”

The relationship between McVay and Nacua is strong enough to allow for frank conversations.

“We communicate clear open and honest,” McVay said. “The play on the field is amazing, and then with what the play has dictated and determined, there’s a responsibility in terms of representing all things, not exclusive to just that. He knows that. Those are the expectations. And we’re hopeful that that’ll be something that this will be an opportunity for him to learn and grow, and we are hopeful that he’s a Ram for a really long time, but he understands what the responsibility.”

Now it’s on Nacua to prove it to the Rams.

And that might take some time. Maybe even all of next season.