What Seahawks saw in Cooper Kupp making him a bargain that other teams missed

When NFL teams were confronted with the need to trade some form of draft pick compensation to Los Angeles Rams for the right to pay veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp $20 million to play for their team in 2025, they balked. With an injury-prone history over the past three seasons, and perceived waning skills on the football field, the cost was seen as too high. But to keep their word, the team had no intention of playing Kupp in 2025. While on the roster, his clock was ticking.

But that is no longer the case. As of March 12, 2025, the LA Rams released Kupp. Whether it was the fact that teams had to pay the Rams for the right to pay Kupp, or a general bad taste that paying Kupp $20 million in 2025, I'm not sure. But with neither impediment standing in teams' way, the market is now red-hot for Kupp. That was our prediction. That is how NFL Insiders now predict his market.

We shared the most obvious landing spot for Kupp. Then I pondered over the matter, and had to pull in the reins to limit six more NFL teams that needed to get busy pursuing Kupp. An NFL analyst who always seems to be plugged into the Rams came up with his list of teams. Ultimately, 31 NFL teams can benefit instantly by adding Kupp to the locker room.

All could, but only one did. So what made the Seattle Seahawks so insightful? Why did they persevere when so many teams had legitimate reasons to pursue Kupp for their roster? Ultimately, it came down to perception. Many teams viewed Kupp for what he can do for them on the football field. But that is only one of many elite attributes he brings to an NFL team. What do I mean? Let's explore further:

For openers, it makes sense for the former Eastern Washington University wide receiver who hails out of Yakima, Washington, to move closer to home. But why did the Seahawks agree to pay Kupp up to $45 million over three years? Because he's worth it, that's why. What made him worth it? Let me explain:

An offensive assassin

The first thing that jumps off the screen when witnessing Cooper Kupp competing in a football game is the way that he never takes a play off. More than once, a broken play ended with Stafford wide open downfield because the two shared the same vision of how to handle challenges. Kupp never downshifts. He is a player that gives his all on every play, no matter what he has been asked to do.

When Odell Beckham Jr. fell to an ACL in Super Bowl LVI, Kupp did what he always does. He carried the team on his back for the win. He's not the biggest or fastest wide receiver on the foortball field. But he could be the most savvy, and he is absolutely the guy with the strongest passion for the game. He wins because he never takes his foot off the gas.

Players who achieve elite status in the NFL sometimes get there with perfect circumstances. Kupp climbed to that level through the sweat of his brow and his unrelenting will. He had many reasons not to become one of the NFL's elite receivers. He just shrugged them off, time and time again.

A mentor

Competitive players are seldom warm and receptive to younger teammates. Of course, there is the willingness to field a question or two from a younger teammate. But in the case of Cooper Kupp's relationship with young WR Puka Nacua, he did far far more. It was clear from his rookie season that Nacua was bound to be a special player in the NFL. Rather than give him a cold shoulder, Kupp invited him to his home in the offseason to personally oversee his offseason workout regimen.

Those workouts were taxing on both the body and the mind. They were so intense that Nacua had to hit the pause button due to temporary illness.

While that seemed like something over and above what a normal teammate might do, it's standard fare with Cooper Kupp. Kupp has been blessed with opportunities to perform and shine on the biggest stages and football fields in the NFL, and his attitude of paying it forward is simply his way of honoring teammates who were kind enough to welcome and mentor him when he arrived in the NFL in 2017.

I don't think Kupp would be the player he is today if not for veteran WR Robert Woods.

That baton was handed off to Kupp. Now it's being handed off to Puka Nacua. And Kupp has done everything in his power to ensure that his young teammate realizes his optimal level of performance in 2025. Ironically, it may be that Kupp was so good at mentoring Nacua that he created the need for the team to part ways from him:

Top notch work ethic

Some players who reach NFL star status settle back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Like a mountain climber, once an NFL player reaches the peak of their NFL career, they set up camp, agree to as many endorsement deals as possible, and bask in the wealth and fame of a player who had 'arrived.'

But that is simply not how Cooper Kupp's mind works. He outperforms on game day because he is willing to commit to training his body and mind to be at their best day after day. It's something that is not a given for elite NFL players. But it is something that is a sure-thing whenever Cooper Kupp wakes up to a new day. And he shares why he is so committed to training each and every day:

Kupp's new team will love his no-nonsense willingness to grind, just as fans of his new team will enjoy his attitude. He doesn't seek the limelight. He doesn't trash talk. And he certainly does not make boastful claims about what he is going to do. He simply walks onto a football field, and does it.

And that is hard not to love from a fan's perspective.

Valued teammate

Team chemistry doesn't get a lot of press coverage. At least, until it's not present in a locker room. You will hear from anonymous sources when NFL players simply do not get along. I can recall many occasions when the chemistry was wrecked by players clashing in the locker rooms of the Cleveland Browns, the New York Jets, and even the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Los Angeles Rams have had their fair share of disgruntled players. But as soon as word breaks that a player is dissatisfied, the front office springs into action to placet that player into a more agreeable situtation. From WR DeSean Jackson, to RB Cam Akers, to WR Van Jefferson, to IOL Jonah Jackson, the Rams front office does not shed players as a punitive action as much as to place that player into a better opportunity to succeed.

Cooper Kupp has always been a great teammate. He became Matthew Stafford's most trusted target because he thinks and plays like a quarterback on the football field. He become WR Puka Nacua's trusted friend and mentor because he has amassed invaluable wisdom and NFL knowledge, and he is generous with sharing that insight.

And he leads by example.

If you want to decry Cooper Kupp's worth to an NFL team, you can find statistics that prove that point. But what you cannot find in any NFL database is how Kupp's presence on the football field and locker room uplifts the attitude and performance of his teammates.

A coach's best friend

When it comes to making a positive impression on Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, I think it's fair to say that he always finds something positive to say about every NFL player he has coached or even seen play on the football field. A master of instant recall, Coach McVay seems to have an infectious style of sucking NFL players into his football-centric world within minutes of connecting with them over the sport that he is so passionate about.

Few players can keep up with him about football. Fewer players can open his mind up to new possibilities, pointing to variances of formations and play designs to get even more yards per play. Cooper Kupp is one such player.

While Cooper Kupp is not the fastest, strongest, or most elusive wide receiver in the NFL, he does have a super power that has kept him quite productive. He can outthink defenders. Too benign? Not sexy enough? Think again. Kupp can set up defensive backs early in the game to allow him to make a game-winning touchdown catch in the final seconds.

Coaches can only design plays, and practice those plays throughout the week leading up to the game. Kupp does not let it rest there. He provides the type of feedback to offensive coaches that challenges them to consider other ways of tweaking the play to give an option to run, or to clear a zone for another receiver. Even as he trains throughout the week, he keeps innovating the offense to add more variables and chances of success.

Coach Kupp

The least lauded attribute about veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp is how easily he is able to coach up younger teammates. Entering the NFL is both an exciting and confusing time for rookies. While the player is trying to make an instant positive impression on new coaches and teammates, their lives are undergoing such upheaval that they are in a new city and facing a new culture. In the lives of many rookies, this is their first 'job,' in that they are on their own to make life decisions.

While NFL teams can offer support to new players about many new challenges to life as an independent adult, each distraction dilutes that young player's attention span and band width to learning a new offensive play book.

That just doesn't work for 'Coach' Cooper Kupp:

I don't want to diminish the vital and essential role of Rams WR Coach Eric Yarber. After all, Coach Yarber was the founding father of the Rams superb passing offense under Coach McVay, and he has been the keystone for the Rams ability to put 1000+ yard receivers onto the football field consistently.

But when it comes to trying to herd multiple rookie wide receivers, some will get it instantly. Others will need a one-on-one tutor to get through a particularly difficult chapter of the offensive playbook. That need for additional tutoring is when Kupp is at his finest.

It's impossible not to respect a player who goes out of his way to help younger teammates. Some get special guidance and mentorship because they display elite potential early in their NFL careers. But even the niche receivers who aspire to something no higher than a rotational role in the offense get vital aid from Kupp.

31 NFL teams had the opportunity to sign Cooper Kupp as a newly available free agent. Only one had the audacity and wisdom to do so. Seattle Seahawks fans will love him. LA Rams fans are already heartbroken over losing him. Be good to Cooper Kupp, as you can count on him to leave it all on the football field.

And as always, thanks for reading.

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