Cooper Kupp Keeps Focus on Team, Not Reunion, Ahead of NFC Title Clash vs. Rams
When Cooper Kupp first suited up against his former team earlier this season, he downplayed the storyline. Just another game, he said.
But this Sunday? This one’s different.
The stakes are sky-high, and the narrative writes itself: Kupp, once the centerpiece of the Rams’ offense and a Super Bowl MVP, now lining up for the Seahawks with a trip to Super Bowl LX on the line-against the team that let him walk.
Still, if you’re expecting Kupp to lean into the revenge angle, you’ll be disappointed. That’s not where his head is.
“You take things one day at a time,” Kupp said Thursday. “We all have a story.
Everyone out there has had a journey to get here. Mine is just one of 53 on that field.”
That’s classic Kupp-humble, team-first, and laser-focused. But make no mistake, this matchup carries weight.
It’s not just another regular season tilt. This is the NFC Championship Game.
Winner goes to the Super Bowl. And for Kupp, it’s a chance to help his new team reach the sport’s biggest stage-by going through his old one.
Kupp spent the first six seasons of his career with the Rams, who drafted him in 2017. He was an integral part of their high-powered offense and reached the pinnacle in February 2022, earning Super Bowl LVI MVP honors after a dominant postseason.
But last offseason, the Rams moved on. Kupp said at the time he didn’t get “a ton of clarity” on why the decision was made.
Rams head coach Sean McVay later pushed back on that, suggesting there was more communication than Kupp let on.
Whatever the case, the split happened, and Kupp landed in Seattle. Now, less than a year later, he’s facing his old squad with a Super Bowl berth on the line.
The regular-season meetings between these two teams didn’t exactly showcase peak Kupp. In Week 11, he was held to just three catches for 23 yards.
In Week 16, he managed three grabs for 39 yards but also lost a fumble-one of his more frustrating outings of the year. Overall, Kupp’s 2025 regular season was modest by his standards: 47 receptions, 593 yards, and two touchdowns.
But postseason football is a different beast. Legacies are built here. And while Kupp isn’t making it personal, he’s clearly energized by the opportunity.
“That’s the great thing about football,” he said. “Everyone’s got their own story, but we all get to play for one another.
When 50 guys are playing for their purpose, that’s powerful. But it’s even more powerful when you’re playing for the guys next to you.”
That’s the mindset Kupp is bringing into Sunday. Not about proving anything to the Rams.
Not about settling scores. It’s about going to battle with the group in his locker room-the teammates and coaches he’s grown with this season-and trying to earn one more game together.
Seattle enters the NFC Championship as a 2.5-point home favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The Seahawks have leaned on a balanced offense and a defense that’s come up big in key moments. But if Kupp can find the end zone against his old team-and help send Seattle to the Super Bowl-it’ll be hard not to see the poetry in it.
Still, for Kupp, it’s not about the storyline. It’s about the mission.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that live that, that are about it,” he said. “And that’s what makes this a really exciting thing for me.”