Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp is headed back to the Super Bowl, this time beating his former team in the NFC Championship Game. It proved to be one of Kupp’s best games of the season, and it is not hard to see why after new details emerged regarding the events of this past offseason.
According to Michael Silver of The Athletic reported that instead of trying to renegotiate a reduced salary with Kupp, the Los Angeles Rams “unceremoniously cut ties” with him, even “urging him to retire”. However, it didn’t stop after the former Offensive Player of the Year was released.
Related: Entire ESPN NFL Panel Makes Same Pick for Seahawks vs Patriots Super Bowl
Silver also reported that the Rams front office allegedly tried to influence the free-agent market for Kupp. Sources told the NFL reporter that the Super Bowl LVI MVP “came to believe that some L.A. officials had cautioned potential suitors against paying him anything more than the veteran minimum.”
Kupp believes those team officials talked to people around the league, arguing that the 32-year-old wide receiver was a huge durability risk and not worth a significant investment. That certainly would have driven down what he could have potentially earned in NFL free agency.
After being released by the Rams on March 12, Kupp signed with Seattle two days later. He landed a three-year contract worth $45 million, with the deal giving him $17.5 million in cash for this season and $17.5 million total guaranteed.
While the money was certainly nice for Kupp, the revenge on his former team seems to have been the ultimate prize. He snagged four receptions for 36 receiving yards and a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game, including the 13-yard score in the third quarter and a third-down reception with 3:20 left in the game that allowed Seattle to run out the majority of the clock.
Now, Kupp has a viable chance to win his second Super Bowl ring while the Rams organization has an entire offseason to try and rebound while hoping Matthew Stafford doesn’t retire. While his tenure in Los Angeles didn’t end on the terms he wanted, it proved to be the best thing for his career.
