SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cooper Kupp had hoped for a storybook finish in Los Angeles, but the NFL rarely hands out Hollywood endings.
This past year has been a whirlwind for Kupp. On Feb. 3, 2025, he posted on social media that the Rams had informed him they wanted to move on, effectively ending his tenure in Los Angeles. That was a stark turn for a player who became a franchise icon — he was the Super Bowl LVI MVP after a historic 2021 campaign, capped by the go-ahead touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, his time with the Rams came to an abrupt close.
“That was tough,” Kupp said Tuesday during the Seattle Seahawks’ pre-Super Bowl LX media session, reflecting a year after that announcement. He described how hard it was to have so much built in one place taken away and that it didn’t end the way he had pictured.
When the Rams couldn’t find a trade partner and waived him, Kupp was 31, coming off multiple injury-marred seasons since 2021 and without a 1,000-yard receiving year in recent times. Yet he wasn’t ready to walk away. He signed with Seattle and played a key role — including a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game that helped knock off his former team and send the Seahawks to Super Bowl LX. “I wasn’t going to let anyone tell me who I was,” he said.
Seahawks coach Mike McDonald called Kupp a priority and praised the veteran’s impact on the locker room as McDonald works to shape a culture in his second season as head coach. “When I could reach out to Coop, I wanted to,” McDonald said, adding that a player of Kupp’s caliber is someone you build around early in a program.
Kupp’s résumé includes one of the most remarkable single seasons in recent memory: in 2021 he led the NFL in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns, earned Offensive Player of the Year and took home Super Bowl MVP honors. He may not be the same statistical force four years later, finishing with 593 yards and two TDs in 16 regular-season games for Seattle, but his presence has mattered.
He called being back in the Super Bowl “something you dream about when you’re a kid” and said he’s grateful for the chance to compete on that stage again. Kupp also reflected on his path: overlooked by major college programs as a recruit, starring at Eastern Washington, sitting out a Super Bowl run early in his career with a torn ACL, then rising to stardom before injuries and a surprising split with the Rams led to a fresh start in Seattle.
Kupp spoke about faith, fate and perspective, saying he believes he was meant to play this game and that recent setbacks taught him life lessons about things outside his control. Despite the bumps, he’s back on football’s biggest stage and making his mark once more.
Fan take: This story matters because it highlights how quickly the NFL can turn on even its brightest stars—and how resilience and fit with a new team can revive a career. For fans, Kupp’s journey underscores the value of veteran leadership and could influence how teams weigh experience versus youth when building rosters.
