PALM BEACH, Fla.—In February, Cooper Kupp was informed that the Los Angeles Rams would be seeking a trade, on March 12th, Kupp was released from the Rams after they weren't able to find a trade partner and then six days later on March 18th, Kupp signed a deal with Seattle.
The series of events starting with Kupp being informed about the team seeking a trade, wasn't what Kupp wanted as he tweeted/posted on X but Rams head coach Sean McVay said for the team, they wanted to make sure Kupp was able to use his talent and shine elsewhere.
"When you're just looking at, what are the plans for your receiver room? It was going to be a challenging fit moving forward," McVay said. "And with respect to him, I think he is going to get a better opportunity to shine, whether that was outside or obviously with Seattle. I'm glad it worked out for him."
McVay said that while releasing Kupp was something the team needed to do, it wasn't an easy decision to make.
"I think the hard part is the human element," McVay said. "You're never going to separate that. As soon as you stop feeling that way, then I don't want to do this anymore. So, it was very challenging, but I do think there was a good healthy dialogue and really Cooper and I were able to have a lot of good conversations as well. I think the one thing that I do know, he knows, is how much I appreciate him, how much I love him and how grateful I am for the time that we had, even if he's probably not my biggest fan right now."
Although it wasn't what Kupp wanted at first, it worked out for Seattle because the Seahawks signed Kupp looking to fill holes left by a departing Tyler Lockett and a DK Metcalf trade. They knew when they signed Kupp they'd be getting a player who head coach Mike Macdonald said is "a pain in the butt," for opposing defenses.
Macdonald knew what it took to keep Kupp locked down during a game because he had to game plan against Kupp last season and said, "You can have him covered on paper, but he's still going to get open. That's something you have to experience in-game. He's a guy that you have to account for in a lot of possession downs and high-leverage situations where it's like, 'We've got to have two guys on this guy.' It's a little bit different than some straight-line vertical guys where you want more of a high-low double; you want to surround him as much as possible. And when you're allocating resources over there, it kind of shifts where the stress points are on the rest of the field."
Kupp's ability to get open and draw so much attention when he's on the field are two things he's good at but his leadership and his perspective on the game is what McVay points to as what makes Kupp the player he is.
"Great leader, great player," McVay said. "A guy that will pour into his teammates. He'll challenge his coaches because of the way that he looks at the game, the way he prepares. [He's] got great physical and mental toughness. Obviously, he's a legacy player with us and love Cooper and I wish him the best except for those two games we see [the Seahawks] next year."
Check out photos of the newest members of the Seahawks as they tour the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the first time.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold, offensive lineman Josh Jones and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Quarterback Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Offensive lineman Josh Jones signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Offensive lineman Josh Jones signed with the Seahawks on March 13, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seahawks on March 18, 2025.
Tight end Eric Saubert signed with the Seahawks on March 24, 2025.
