Cooper Kupp returns home to Seahawks, brings Super Bowl experience to wide receiver group

SEATTLE — A match made in heaven.

The Seahawks needed reinforcements at wide receiver after trading DK Metcalf and releasing Tyler Lockett.

Cooper Kupp needed a new NFL home after his release from the Rams.

So, bringing the Yakima native back to Washington? As we said, a dream come true.

It's a really cool thing. Obviously, growing up in Yakima and watching the Seattle Seahawks growing up, I've talked a lot about the memories and experiences. That's kind of what football is. It's remembering all those big moments. Walking through the halls back here, looking at these photos of iconic (players) -- just moments in games and being able to recognize, man, I remember where I was when that happened when that moment happened. Growing up watching Seattle, watching football being a huge part of my life, and then playing at Eastern Washington, full circle moment coming back and being able to throw on a Seattle Seahawks uniform, it's a cool thing. It's something I don't take lightly. Just excited to be able to be a part of this program and what this program has been about and continue it moving forward," Kupp said, adding, "Stepping into this new adventure, this new place, this new chapter in my career but also in our lives as my wife and I navigate moving back up home, back up to our home state, I think that's something that we're excited about facing. We're excited about the community that we get to be a part of and the people that are going to be a part of our lives. But yeah, it has been difficult. Without a doubt, it has been difficult, and we're humans. We're real people. I'm thankful to have had a wife to lean on and to count on to be able to walk through this with because it would be very hard to do by myself, and our boys have been incredible through it all. But yeah, we are very excited about what the future holds here in Seattle.

Kupp, a former Super Bowl MVP, is a dream-come-true addition for the Seahawks as well. Is he DK Metcalf? No. But does he add valuable and versatile experience to the Seahawks receiver room? Absolutely.

With a new offense coming in by way of new coordinator Klint Kubiak, Kupp's experience is invaluable. The hope is, it leads to more points and more consistency from the Seahawks attack.

Day one of OTAs, everyone is learning this offense," Kupp said. "So that's going to be fun. That's going to be something that I'm excited about. In terms of especially with Sam (Darnold) coming in here, we get to learn this offense together. We get to, as it grows, every offense you have, the starting point of how you want to do things, what that's going to look like, and as the players come in and bring it to life, it grows, it changes, it morphs into accentuating the guys' abilities, the guys that you have. I'm excited to be able to go through that. It's just such a fun process. Being able to build that. It's something that gets me very excited about this offense, about this team.

So, from growing up going to Seahawks games as a kid—including a snow-filled Monday Night game against Green Bay. At another game he attended while in college, he recalls his Dad pointing out Ray Lewis and saying, "Think you can play in the NFL?"

But that chip on his shoulder and being doubted is something Kupp has always dealt with. It's motivation to succeed. It's motivation to lead these Seahawks into their next chapter.

I've had people doubt me for a long time through my life," Kupp said. "In some ways rightfully so. I was a very small kid growing up and cared a lot, but there's a lot of people that care a lot and just don't have the stuff to string together. I was very blessed to have a lot of coaching to come alongside me and teach me and show me the way. I'm very thankful for that. I wouldn't be here today without that. But with all those doubts and all those things, it's never been about proving other people wrong. I think I've lived in that space, and it never goes well. It's been about being who I am, like believing in myself and knowing that I can be who I see myself becoming. When I've taken that attitude, when I've taken that mindset, that's always when I've been at my best, and I'll continue that. I know how to navigate these waters. I've been here before, and it's not about the negative energy. It's not about proving anyone else wrong, trying to make anyone else feel bad about anything. It's just about being myself and being who I believe I can be and going out there and playing the game I love.

He'll wear the #10 jersey as he's done his entire career because of a deal made with Uchenna Nwosu. Chenna will give up that number for Kupp because Cooper made a sizable donation to Nwosu's charity.

A class act all the way is finally back home.

An unexpected detour in his NFL career but one that has the potential to be the most rewarding, leading his home-state team back to where so many believe they belong.