RENTON, WA − One man’s treasure is another man’s … treasure? It’s about as apt a way as possible to sum up the last year for Cooper Kupp.
It was readily apparent following Sunday’s NFC championship game win that Kupp’s Seattle Seahawks teammates were thrilled for him. It was readily apparent following Sunday’s NFC championship game loss that Kupp’s former Los Angeles Rams teammates were nearly as thrilled for him.
As for the man himself? It was fairly clear Monday that Kupp still isn’t quite able to fully revel in the thrill of another Super Bowl trip with his new team given that it came at the expense of his previous one.
“It’s hard because those guys – a lot of those guys that were across the field last night – are my best friends, you know, lifelong friends of mine,” Kupp, after collecting his thoughts, replied when asked by USA TODAY Sports at the Seahawks’ suburban training facility.
“It’s just a weird conflict, a weird thing to work through.”
Give him credit for working through it effectively Sunday.
Kupp’s 13-yard touchdown catch from Sam Darnold late in the third quarter provided Seattle’s final points – and what turned out to be the decisive margin – in a 31-27 victory, the Seahawks’ second in the Pacific Northwest over their NFC West rivals in the past five weeks.
“I’m most happy for Coop,” said linebacker Ernest Jones IV, a Rams castoff himself who helped recruit Kupp to Seattle following his release last year, after the game Sunday. (Kupp didn’t speak to reporters in the locker room postgame.)
“I’ve been in that position. I’ve been there. I’ve left that place. I know everything he went through. I know this feels good for him, and I’m happy we were able to do it.”
Said Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald: “Some whispers before the game like, ‘How cool would it be if Coop scored a touchdown today? And he did. I mean, we love him. He’s the best.”
The Rams clearly don’t disagree.
Kupp finished his 2021 season for LA with Super Bowl 56 honors, the capstone of a campaign during which he had 178 catches for 2,425 yards – NFL records when combining a single season plus postseason.
But his production dipped in subsequent years, in part because Kupp was often injured but also because Puka Nacua instantly emerged as a No. 1-caliber receiver as a rookie in 2023. Kupp’s sagging numbers, which didn’t align with his salary, led the Rams to the agonizing decision to release him last March.
Kupp, a native of Washington state, signed a three-year, $45 million deal with Seattle. He caught 47 balls for 593 yards in a secondary role to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
And though Kupp was effectively replaced by free-agent acquisition Davante Adams, a “gone but not forgotten” vibe emanates from his ex-mates.
“My mentor, a friend to me, and I know I wanted to see him and be able to congratulate him on the game he had and then also congratulate him on the opportunity to go out there and play for another Super Bowl,” said Nacua.
“I love that dude. I’m super proud of him, and I can’t wait to watch him.”
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford hovered long enough in the aftermath of what was a gutting defeat for him in order to wish Kupp luck in Super Bowl 60 against the New England Patriots.
“Obviously just so much love for him as a friend,” Kupp said of Stafford, with whom he’d spend countless hours watching film for the Rams as their personal bond grew.
“And so for him in that moment, to be able to like just linger on the field, and come find me means a lot. Yeah, that was a pretty cool moment.”
Kupp, whose crucial – if questionable – third-down catch in Sunday’s fourth quarter also proved deadly to the Rams, extending a drive that allowed Seattle to drain most of the final five minutes from the clock, now heads to his third Super Bowl. (He was injured and didn’t play in the Rams’ Super Bowl 53 loss to the Patriots.)
Yet Kupp also isn’t living in the past. Asked where his Super Bowl MVP trophy is, he replied, “I believe it’s down in LA. So who knows?”
Now it’s full speed ahead with preparations begin to take on New England on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California. And though the Patriots are the final stepping stone to what would be a second Lombardi for Kupp and the Seahawks franchise, he couldn’t help but marvel at the path he and his new squad have taken.
“For this story to be what it was, had to be through the Rams to be able to get to where we wanted to go, NFC championship in that moment,” he said.
“Yeah, script writers did a good job with that one, tell you that.”