History was made and left by Cooper Kupp for the Los Angeles Rams franchise.
A triple crown winner who was voted the Super Bowl MVP after L.A.'s win over the Cincinnati Bengals to conclude the 2021 season, Kupp's contributions cannot be overstated.
However, after a rather unceremonious exit from the Rams that led him to becoming a member of the Seattle Seahawks, the mild-mannered wideout is very much looking forward to lining up against his old squad.
"Yeah. I am. I am looking forward to it," said Kupp, 31, on Tuesday at his introductory Seahawks news conference following the official signing of his three-year, $45 million contract. "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."
As NFC West adversaries, the Seahawks and Rams will, of course, play twice a year, offering Kupp ample opportunity to show Los Angeles it made the wrong decision in releasing him.
Though he made it clear he wasn't driven to sign with Seattle for the prospects of any comeuppance for L.A., Kupp also didn't hesitate to admit his departure from the Rams was a rough one. He was a 2017 third-round pick of the franchise who envisioned his playing career beginning and ending with L.A.
"It's been difficult," he said. "In all honesty, it's been very difficult, and frustrating."
Since winning the Super Bowl MVP, Kupp has been ravaged by injuries that have forced him to miss 18 games over the past three years. Kupp's production has waned, as well, and he was due $20 million in total salary in 2025. Still, Kupp, by his accord, was never given all that much explanation as to why he was being shopped for a trade before ultimately getting released after eight seasons with the Rams.
"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 on all those memories, all those experiences, all those things we were able to go through together and the relationships that we had with so many people there, and look at it in a positive light and be very thankful for my time in Los Angeles. It's something that we'll always cherish. But like I said, we are very excited about the chapter ahead and what we can do in Seattle."
Just as thankful as he was for his time in L.A., Kupp's excited about the prospects of his Washington state homecoming.
Born in Yakima, Washington, Kupp played his college ball in Eastern Washington.
"Full-circle moment coming back to being able to throw on a Seattle Seahawks uniform," said Kupp, who's produced 634 receptions for 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns in his career. "It's a really cool thing and something I don't take lightly."
Kupp's staying put in the NFC West and heading back to familiar scenery, but the only head coach he's ever known in the NFL is Sean McVay. McVay's long been lauded for his offensive genius, while Mike Macdonald was hired as the Seahawks head coach for his defensive acumen.
It will surely be a change for Kupp, but one he's embracing.
"That will be interesting," he said. "I know there's so many different ways that people do it, I'm not sure how involved Mike is on the offensive side of things or how he does things. But I am looking forward to it. I've only heard all the guys here love him."
Kupp's still got plenty of love for those he's leaving behind in L.A., but he's enthused by what's next and plenty happy about the opportunity to see his old squad twice next season.
