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Latest update over this lusted-over free agent could explode Cooper Kupp market

The pace car is off the track. Now, let's see the bids start heating up.
ByBret Stuter|
NFC Divisional Playoffs: Los Angeles Rams Cooper Kupp
NFC Divisional Playoffs: Los Angeles Rams Cooper Kupp | Sarah Stier/GettyImages
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Cooper Kupp's market could explode over Tee Higgins news

Yes, Tee Higgins and Cooper Kupp's careers are viewed as heading in opposite directions. But to read the reports, comments, and expressions on social media, Higgins is an All-Pro veteran while Kupp is simply seeking a new team to pull up in a rocking chair to retirement.

The opposite is true. At least in terms of All-Pro status, that is. Kupp earned All-Pro honors in 2021

Is perception reality right now? While there is no way to illustrate future production, we can showcase the past four NFL seasons from both Higgins and Kupp to place tangible evidence of the two players in a direct compare/contrast data table:

Tee Higgins

Cooper Kupp

2021

74-1091-6 | 710 snaps

145-1947-16 | 1024 snaps

2022

74-1029-7 | 757 snaps

75-812-6 | 530 snaps

2023

42-656-5 | 573 snaps

59-737-5 | 710 snaps

2024

73-911-10 | 636 snaps

67-710-6 | 637 snaps

Totals

263-3687-28 | 2,676 snaps

346-4206-33 | 2901 snaps

Past 3 year avg

63 - 865-7 | 655 snaps

67-753-6 | 626 snaps

How far apart are the two players in actual production? In two words - not much. The challenge is that Higgins has adhered to his 2021 season performance in many ways, while Kupp's production has dropped from the stratosphere of his 2021 NFL season. Is that fair? Probably not. But that is how human perception works.

Still, a young player on the rise will attract far more interest than a veteran with similar production, if only for the way that future forecasting works. But perhaps Cooper Kupp has some hidden value of promise that should be considered. Such as?

(3) - Changes of latitude, changes of attitude

With every 'new' opportunity in terms of changing locations, all old habits are broken. I'm not suggesting that Cooper Kupp has slid into a pattern of bad habits. But it's clear that he has only know the LA Rams offense. When Jared Goff was traded to the Detroit Lions, he learned how to take charge of the Lions offense well enough to get that team to the NFL playoffs.

Could Kupp benefit from a change of scenery? I think so. For starters, a new team forces Kupp out of his comfort zone, and so the blackboard is erased. Kupp possesses a superb IQ, work-ethic, and respect for the game, so his ability to be a productive player in a new team locker room is a given.

But without history with a new team, Kupp will be back to proving himself all over again. He does incredibly well in competition.

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