Rams fans are stuck in the strangest NFL reality of the Sean McVay era

Los Angeles Rams fans can’t separate their stunning Super Bowl LVI celebration from the heroics of All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp. After all, he did win the prestigious Most Valuable Player honors at the conclusion of that game. And if you rewatch the team’s performance, you’ll notice that after Odell Beckham Jr.’s injury, Kupp was nearly the entire offense for the team in the second half.

Kupp didn’t just show up to claim the spotlight on the NFL’s biggest stage. He got them there first, then let his teammates deliver the coup de grâce. The running game was completely ineffective. The other wideout, Odell Beckham Jr., tore his ACL in the first half. It was Kupp or nobody, and he delivered.

The grind of playing 21 straight games took its toll. Over the next two seasons, he suited up just 23 times out of a possible 35. In 2024 alone, he appeared in 14 of 19 games. Across those three years, his catch rate and yards per target dipped, and his yards and touchdowns never even reached half of his 2021 totals. By the end of 2024, the team cut ties.

Former Rams WR Cooper Kupp now plays for the Seattle Seahawks

Fans knew Cooper Kupp was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Eastern Washington with the 69th overall pick. Despite coming from a smaller-school program, he torched the Washington Huskies, a secondary loaded with top-tier defensive backs.

As soon as the Rams released him outright, many expected him to return home to Washington State. Even with his decline over the past three seasons, he remained highly effective. There was also a belief that if he had stayed healthy, his numbers would have ranked among the NFL’s top five receivers again.

He signed a multi-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks, a team that had dealt with its own stretch of diminishing returns from veteran WR Tyler Lockett. Unlike Kupp, Lockett didn’t suffer injuries that limited his opportunities — he was simply less productive. He has since moved on to the Tennessee Titans, and Kupp has stepped into his former starting role in the offense.

The thing is, Rams fans are not going to like seeing Kupp in a Seattle Seahawks uniform. After all, he knows the Rams’ strategies like the back of his hand. And he will always be a competitor, so he will be more than happy to share intel with his new teammates that could give them an advantage they might not have enjoyed otherwise.

This is a scenario that feels like an episode of the former thriller television series The Twilight Zone. Rams fans will be compelled to cheer against Kupp and celebrate him being tackled by defensive backs. It’s perhaps one of the weirdest storylines the Rams must face all season. It may even be the weirdest storyline of HC Sean McVay’s tenure. As always, thanks for reading.

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