After spending eight years with the Los Angeles Rams, wide receiver Cooper Kupp will be wearing a different jersey in 2025.
The Rams informed Kupp that they would be seeking to trade the veteran this offseason, but a deal never materialized. Los Angeles ultimately released Kupp after they failed to find a trade partner who was willing to take on his contract, and the 31-year-old became a free agent for the first time in his career. Although his trade market appeared dry, Kupp received plenty of attention on the open market.
Kupp eventually elected to sign a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks. The move will be a homecoming for the All-Pro, who grew up in Yakima, Wash., roughly 140 miles away from Seattle. The contract will earn Kupp an average annual salary of $15 million, which is relatively low compared to the massive deals being rewarded to top wide receivers across the league. Still, that figure was a bit too high for one potential team that had an opportunity to sign the former Super Bowl MVP.
Jerry Jones turned down Cooper Kupp because of his price
The Dallas Cowboys were immediately brought up as an ideal landing spot for Kupp, and there may have been mutual interest between the two parties. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb did their best to convince Kupp to join Dallas, ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed on his podcast.
The Cowboys have been in the market for a No. 2 wide receiver to play alongside Lamb, but Kupp’s price was a bit too rich for team owner Jerry Jones.
"Last Thursday, the Cowboys reached out about Cooper Kupp and they were interested," Schefter said. "Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, who I understand it, were on the phone with Cooper Kupp talking to him about the idea of coming to Dallas, and it was floated out there. And then the Cowboys heard the numbers, and they were at numbers that the Cowboys weren't going to get to."
The Cowboys were considered to be a dream destination for Kupp after they hired former Oregon co-offensive coordinator Junior Adams as their wide receivers coach in early February. Kupp crossed paths with Adams during his time at Eastern Washington and previously mentioned that no other coach had a greater impact on him.
In 2021, Kupp paced the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16), then he capped off the triple-crown campaign with a Super Bowl MVP trophy. His past three seasons have been interrupted by injuries, and he’s struggled to replicate that career-best year. The emergence of Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua made Kupp expendable, but he still has some gas left in the tank.
Dallas currently doesn’t have any consistent threats to take pressure off of Lamb in the passing game. Wide receiver Jalen Tolbert finished the 2024 season with 610 receiving yards, the second-most on the team. No other Cowboys player reached 500 receiving yards. Despite Kupp’s recent struggles, he would’ve immediately upgraded the offense.