The Seahawks are turning to a home-state kid made good — Yakima native and former Eastern Washington University standout Cooper Kupp — to remake their receiving corps in the wake of the departures of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
Three days after being released by the Los Angeles Rams — and after hearing pitches from a handful of interested teams that included the Cowboys and Patriots — Kupp and the Seahawks agreed to what ESPN and the NFL Network reported as a three-year deal worth up to $45 million.
A source confirmed to The Seattle Times that Kupp and the Seahawks had reached an agreement.
Shortly after the news broke, Kupp himself confirmed it with a post on the social media platform X stating “Washington back across my chest. Let’s go!!!!!” above a photoshopped picture of himself in a Seahawks uniform wearing number 10.
The deal came after a day of rumors in which numerous national reporters who cover the NFL reported that the Seahawks were avidly pursuing Kupp. But Kupp also had other suitors who were reported to have made a late run.
Kupp, who attended Davis High in Yakima before heading to Eastern, comes to Seattle after an eight-year career with the Rams that included winning MVP honors of Super Bowl LVI following the 2021 season and Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year honors that same year when he led the NFL with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards.
Kupp’s release was made official at 1 p.m. Wednesday when the new league year began after the Rams spent several weeks trying to trade him. A source said the Seahawks immediately began pursuing him in their efforts to not only replace Metcalf and Lockett but also give the team another weapon for new quarterback Sam Darnold, who on Monday agreed to a three-year deal worth $100.5 million.
Friday, the deal got done and Kupp is coming to Seattle.
The Rams made the decision to move on from Kupp because of his age — he turns 32 on June 15 — and recent injury history (he’s played just 33 of a possible 51 regular-season games the last three years) and contract status.
His Rams’ contract included cap hits of $29.78 million and $27.33 million in 2025 and 2026, as well as a $7.5 million roster bonus due on Monday.
The Seahawks get Kupp at a cheaper rate, motivated to prove he still has something left, and surely eager to turn the second act of his career into a happy homecoming.
Kupp also has familiarity with the offense of new coordinator Klint Kubiak that shares many characteristics with the Rams’ scheme.
Jake Peetz, the Seahawks’ offensive passing game coordinator, was on the Rams’ staff in 2022 and 2023, serving the latter season as pass game specialist.
Kupp is the second veteran receiver the Seahawks added during free agency, joining Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who agreed to a one-year deal Wednesday.
Where the 6-foot-4, 206-pound Valdes-Scantling is known for his speed and ability to work on the outside, Kupp has ample experience working out of the slot and in shorter and intermediate routes. Kupp has generally earned high marks for his blocking.
Kupp and Valdes-Scantling join Jaxon Smith-Njigba in giving the Seahawks an experienced three-man receiving corps in the wake of the release last week of Lockett and the trade of Metcalf to the Steelers. Seattle also has Jake Bobo, Dareke Young and Cody White in its receiver room, as well.
Smith-Njigba reacted immediately and favorably to the news, taking to the social media platform X to post “Cooooooooooooppppp” within minutes of the news breaking.
The Seahawks could add to the receiving corps during the NFL draft April 24-26 in which it has 10 picks, including five of the top 92.
While Kupp missed four games last season because of an ankle injury (and sat out the regular-season finale against the Seahawks when many starters were rested), Kupp had some big games when healthy, three times surpassing the 100-yard mark. He had 11 catches for 104 yards in the Rams’ 26-20 overtime win over the Seahawks at Lumen Field on Nov. 3.
He had five catches for 61 yards in L.A.’s divisional playoff loss against the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published last weekend, Kupp — whose father, Craig, played quarterback at Pacific Lutheran from 1987-89 and played one game in the NFL with the Cardinals in 1991 — insisted he still has a lot of good football left.
“I said at the beginning of last year that if I didn’t believe I could play football at a very high level — at a level where I see myself doing the things I want to do — I don’t want to be playing football anymore,” he said.
“And I can still do it. I want to do it for four more years at least, and I plan to be playing at a high level. That’s just where I see myself. When I see myself on film, I’m progressing. Things are moving forward.
“I’ve never relied on just outrunning someone,” he continued. “That’s never been my game. It’s always been setting someone up. That’s become something where, over time, I’ve gotten all these tools, so, ‘Which one do I use? When do I use it to win?’ That’s gotten better and better in terms of being able to see it, then snap into it as the play is taking place. The thinking slows down. The game slows down. You’re just reacting and the game becomes second nature. Every year that’s gotten better and better.
“The way I see myself is I’m ascending, even if people on the outside say I’m descending,” he said. “But they aren’t in our rooms. They aren’t hearing our game plans. They don’t see our practices. All they see is what happens on Sunday, and sometimes they don’t even see that and all they see is a stat line and decide, ‘Oh, this is who he is.’
“That’s not what defines a player. That’s not going to define who I am, certainly. I’m not going to allow that.”
Shortly after his release by the Rams, Kupp took to the social media platform X to pen a goodbye to Los Angeles.
He ended it stating: “Next chapter starts now. Best is yet to come.”
The Seahawks certainly hope so.
