Cooper Kupp Admits He's Excited to Face Rams Twice a Year With Seahawks

Cooper Kupp became one of the NFL's top wide receivers with the Los Angeles Rams, winning the MVP award at Super Bowl LVI to cap the 2021–22 season, the same year he captured the receiving triple crown and won NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Kupp's eight years with the Rams were extremely fruitful, but he certainly has a chip on his shoulder now that L.A. has moved on from him. After signing a three-year, $45 million deal to play with the Seattle Seahawks, a fellow NFC West squad, Kupp said that he didn't set out to join a Rams rival, but admits that it definitely didn't hurt when weighing his options.

"Yeah, I am looking forward to it," Kupp said of playing the Rams twice a year, per the Seahawks' website. "That didn't play into the decision to come here, but it's a nice little thing on the side to be able to go against those guys and know a lot of those guys, so much respect for the coaching staff, the way they handle things down there, the players down there. I am excited about it, though. It's going to be a really cool thing. When that time comes, it will just be football at that point. But I am looking forward to it."

On Tuesday, Kupp said he was never given clarity on why exactly the Rams chose to move on from him, and he pushed back on the idea that he can't still contribute at a high level.

"I'm sure they have their reasons for why they want to do things. Whatever it is," he said. "Not a ton of clarity in that regard, but at the end of the day, I'm thankful to be able to walk away from that organization and be able to look back at all those memories, all those experiences, all those things we were able to go through together ... and look at it in a positive light, and be very thankful for my time in Los Angeles."

Kupp's durability was likely a factor in the decision. In the three years since his breakout 2021 campaign, he's played in just 33 of a possible 51 games.

Now, he looks to get back on track with the Seahawks, catching passes from new Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold.