Before joining the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, veteran receiver Cooper Kupp’s departure from the Los Angeles Rams was much more contentious than it initially appeared.
Kupp had announced last February that the Rams intended to trade him, and he said in his statement, “I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in L.A.” He was ultimately released by the team in March, paving the way for him to land with the Seahawks.
However, The Athletic’s Michael Silver revealed more details behind what led up to Kupp’s release, reporting that “rather than trying to negotiate a salary reduction with the former All-Pro, the Rams had unceremoniously cut ties, urging him to retire.”
If that’s not bad enough, the Rams reportedly tried to dictate Kupp’s market once he became a free agent. Sources told Silver that Kupp “came to believe that some L.A. officials had cautioned potential suitors against paying him anything more than the veteran minimum, suggesting that age and an accumulation of injuries had provoked a steep decline.”
Kupp had spent the first eight seasons of his career with Los Angeles after being drafted with a third-round pick in 2017. He helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title in the 2021 season, earning Super Bowl MVP honors and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. However, he failed to appear in more than 12 games in each of the next three seasons due to injuries, and he admitted that his relationship with the franchise declined by the time he was released.
“When it ended with the Rams,” Kupp told Silver, “we weren’t in a good place.”
Now, Kupp has gotten the last laugh over his former team after the Seahawks defeated the Rams 31-27 in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. He recorded four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Kupp took a victory lap on social media after sending head coach Sean McVay and company back to Los Angeles:
The Rams will be watching with the rest of the world to see if Kupp can earn a second championship ring when the Seahawks face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
