It made sense for the Seattle Seahawks to sign former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp this past offseason after the Los Angeles Rams decided to cut ties with their veteran wide receiver. Kupp has not been the same player since beating the Cincinnati Bengals to win it all three years ago; Puka Nacua emerged to replace him, and Kupp cannot stay on the field. Now, this former Eastern Washington star returns home.
The idea behind signing Kupp is to get a savvy veteran into the Seahawks' receiving corps to effectively replace DK Metcalf going to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since Kupp spent his entire pro career in Los Angeles prior to this offseason, he should have no problem picking up new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's system, as it largely stems from the McVay/Shanahan tree he knows well.
Unfortunately, I fear that the Seahawks paid a gross premium to a declining player in Kupp. He signed with the Seahawks on a three-year, $45 million contract. The Rams could not get out of their deal with Kupp fast enough; it is debatable that Kupp is still even a $15 million AAV player anymore, let alone what he may be two years from now. He does not hit free agency until 2028 when he will be 35.
Kupp could either solidify his Hall of Fame career in Seattle, or wash out from the NFL in a year or so.
Seattle Seahawks may regret overpaying for Cooper Kupp in free agency
For the Seahawks, this season is all about Sam Darnold building off his breakout campaign with the Minnesota Vikings. It also needs to serve as a redemption act of sorts for Kupp with his career in flux, as well as Kubiak proving to everyone he is an NFL offensive coordinator after disaster struck midway through last year with the New Orleans Saints. This is also a critical season for Mike Macdonald as well.
The Seahawks play in a pretty winnable division. The Arizona Cardinals may still be a year away, while the Rams and San Francisco 49ers may have already experienced the peaks of what their current cores can provide. Seattle finds itself in the uncomfortable in-between. What are they? Exactly. The team needs to develop a strong identity fast in order to avoid becoming anonymous.
While I would firmly argue that Kupp's name does add some level of intrigue coming over to his new team, to me, it is all about using his familiarity with the NFC West to his and the Seahawks' advantage. Regardless of whether he plays at a high level again at any point in his career, his wealth of knowledge from spending his entire career in the division could help the Seahawks in taking charge o fthe division.
I do not think this deal will be all bad for Seattle, but they are already dealing with diminishing returns.