After troubled offseason, Puka Nacua’s Rams presence has been answered

Puka Nacua is back on the football field.

After he checked into a luxury treatment center in Malibu in March following allegations he bit a woman while drunk on New Year’s Eve, Nacua is currently taking part in the Rams’ voluntary offseason workouts — which began Monday — at their Woodland Hills training facility.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua before the NFC wild card game between the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, January 10, 2026. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

While Nacua’s lawyer Levi McCathern said the move was not a direct response to the lawsuit from Nacua’s bite accuser, Madison Atiabi, filed against him late last month, the lawyer did say “the combination of stories ya’ll have run is certainly a contributing factor.”

“He was in there a substantial period of time before any of these allegations broke with Madison,” McCathern said in early April, “and he’s scheduled to be there for a while longer.”

The restraining order request that was filed against Nacua by Atiabi earlier this year was formally dismissed last week.

At a hearing in a Los Angeles County courtroom, Atiabi’s attorney, Joseph Kar, told Judge Debra R. Archuleta that he and his client wanted to drop the petition they submitted against Nacua on March 24.

“We understand Mr. Nacua is in rehabilitation at a facility for drug and alcohol rehabilitation,” said Kar, who appeared at the proceedings remotely. “At this time, we don’t want to pursue the petition.”

Kar added that he and Nacua’s representatives had been in contact about the matter.

Archuleta then announced to the courtroom the case “will be dismissed without prejudice,” meaning Atiabi can refile at a later date.

EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua, who has been accused of making anti-semitic remarks and biting a girl is seen outside a rehab facility in Malibu, CA., March 27, 2026. London Entertainment for CA Post

Nacua is coming off a career season where he emerged as arguably the best wide receiver in football.

He finished with a league-high 129 catches (166 targets) for 1,715 yards (second-most in NFL) and 10 touchdowns. But ultimately his and the Rams season came to an end in the NFC championship game when they lost to the Seahawks and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, cashed in on a 4-year, $168.6 million contract this offseason that made him the highest-paid wide receiver in league history.

Despite entering the final year of his rookie contract, Nacua is expected to command a similar — if not more — lucrative contract, but contract negotiations have stalled due to his off-field exploits.

He and Smith-Njigba were in the same draft class. Both signed four-year rookie deals. Both finished first and second, respectively, for NFL Offensive Player of the Year last month. Both are on the same trajectory toward superstardom. There’s just one striking difference, Smith-Njigba is not in the headlines every day over off-field drama.