The Los Angeles Rams will not have to attend lengthy to see vast receiver Cooper Kupp once more. In actual fact, they will be seeing him a minimum of twice a yr for the foreseeable future because the once-LA star agreed to a brand new contract with their NFC West rival, the Seattle Seahawks.
In keeping with ESPN, Kupp agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seahawks on Friday. The deal marks a homecoming for the 31-year-old receiver born and raised in Yakima, Washington, simply over two hours away from Seattle. Kupp acknowledged the deal on social media with a graphic displaying off what he’ll appear to be in a Seahawks uniform.
Kupp additionally attended Jap Washington College, the place he set data for the Jap Washington Eagles soccer group and helped cause them to three Big Sky Conference titles as a part of the NCAA Division I Soccer Championship Subdivision. The Rams then drafted Kupp within the third spherical of the 2017 draft, and he spent eight seasons with the group earlier than being released on Wednesday after they did not commerce him.
For the Seahawks, that is about greater than bringing again a hometown hero; it is nonetheless about being aggressive. Seattle has undergone a whole makeover, with the group buying and selling ex-quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and agreeing to a three-year, $100.5 million deal with quarterback Sam Darnold. The group additionally launched WR Tyler Lockett and traded franchise star DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Earlier than Kupp’s signing, the Seahawks didn’t have a receiver on their roster who recorded over 200 yards last season, apart from No. 1 WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Kupp is a big step up from their present WR No. 2 choices. Nonetheless, the Seahawks are betting on Kupp regaining a few of his former glory. In 2021, Kupp grew to become the fourth triple crown winner since 1970 by making 145 receptions for 1,947 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. Nonetheless, accidents derailed him sufficient that in 2024, he had an unimpressive 67 receptions for 710 yards and 6 touchdowns.
After giving Kupp a three-year, $80.1 million extension, the Rams seemed to get out of the contract by buying and selling him, however nobody wished to pay the $20 million he was owed. The Seahawks deal is price $15 million per yr, in response to The Athletic, which is substantial cash for a receiver perceived to be on the decline. Nonetheless, Kupp is a former Tremendous Bowl MVP who caught the game-winning landing within the Rams’ 23-20 Tremendous Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on the Rams’ very personal SoFi Stadium.
With Smith-Njigba and Kupp, Darnold will nonetheless have a aggressive vast receiver duo within the NFC West. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford — and one among Kupp’s finest associates — is 37 years previous. The San Francisco 49ers look like retooling after a disappointing 2024, and the Arizona Cardinals have but to achieve their potential behind quarterback Kyler Murray.
The NFC West appears to be like to be anybody’s division for the taking. With a wholesome Kupp trying to play for his residence state and get revenge on the group he thought he’d retire with, the star receiver may give the Seahawks the aggressive edge they want in 2025.
