Cooper Kupp is no DK … and that’s OK.
Cut the comparisons.
Of course, I understand the temptation, considering the circumstances. After DK Metcalf requested a trade and was subsequently shipped to Pittsburgh for a second-round pick, Kupp – who was recently released by the Los Angeles Rams – filled his roster spot. They were the latest dizzying moves in a dramatic offseason, in which the Seahawks swapped franchise faces at quarterback (Geno Smith for Sam Darnold) and wide receiver.
But in reality, a Kupp-Metcalf comparison doesn’t really matter.
Can Kupp contribute to a more comprehensively effective wide receiver corps?
Here’s the part where we question which Kupp is coming home. The 31-year-old’s bona fides – 634 catches, 7,776 receiving yards, 57 touchdowns, a Super Bowl, a Pro Bowl and a 2021 Offensive Player of the Year Award in eight NFL seasons – are beyond dispute. But the injury issues are also difficult to ignore.
Like the torn ACL in 2018. And the high ankle sprain in 2022. And the hamstring issue in 2023. And another ankle injury in 2024. All told, he hasn’t played more than 12 games since 2021.
When healthy, Kupp remains a scintillating slot receiver; the 6-2, 207-pounder provided 67 catches, 710 receiving yards and six touchdowns (a 1,006-yard pace in a 17-game season) in 2024.
At his best, Kupp is no DK … and that’s OK. He’s been better. The high point was 145 catches, 1,947 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021, when the Eastern Washington alum led Los Angeles to a Super Bowl. Metcalf – who has never surpassed 90 catches, 1,303 receiving yards or 12 touchdowns in a season – signed a four-year, $132 million extension with the Steelers last week.
But Metcalf is also 27, and the 6-4, 235-pound colossus has never appeared in fewer than 15 games.
(Even for this columnist, the comparisons keep creeping in.)
So, at 31 – 32 this summer – can Kupp still be his best?
“It’s never been about proving people wrong. I’ve lived in that space, and it never goes well,” the homecoming king said Tuesday, donning a Pearl Jam T-shirt at his introductory news conference. “It’s been about being who I am, believing in myself and knowing that I can be who I see myself becoming. When I’ve taken that mindset, that’s when I’ve always been at my best, and I’ll continue that. I know how to navigate these waters. I’ve been here before.”
That’s true both literally and metaphorically.
Literally, Kupp – who starred at Davis High in Yakima – first visited Lumen Field as a 13-year-old for the Seahawks’ 34-24 win over the Packers on Monday Night Football in 2006. He also shredded UW in a 59-52 loss inside Husky Stadium in 2014, corralling eight catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns. And as a Ram, he found continued success in Seattle, recording 47 catches for 568 receiving yards and two touchdowns in seven games (and five wins) at Lumen Field.
Metaphorically, he knows how to navigate the negativity. Like when he made varsity as a scrawny sophomore and “my pants were tucked into my mid-back. I was not ready for it.” Or when a high school coach didn’t think he was destined for Division I ball. Or when a local columnist questions if he can still play.
Or how he fits in a scheme alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba, another “slot receiver.”
“In this offense, what (new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has) done is be able to formation guys to be anywhere,” Kupp said. “That’s how I learned this offense originally. You had to learn the whole thing, because you could be in any of these spots at any time. You can’t think of yourself as just a slot. You have to see yourself playing any one of these positions at any time, because you could be asked to run any one of these routes.”
He added: “We’ve got guys that are going to be willing to learn the offense as a whole and take advantage of those opportunities.”
Guys like Smith-Njigba, who exploded for 100 catches, 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2024. Guys like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who compiled 17 catches for 385 yards and four touchdowns in eight games under Kubiak with the Saints last season. Guys like wide receiver Jake Bobo, tight ends Noah Fant and AJ Barner and running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, too.
After releasing franchise mainstay Tyler Lockett this month, the Seahawks would be wise to add another wide receiver in the upcoming draft. But it’s up to that entire corps – Smith-Njigba, Kupp, Valdes-Scantling, Bobo, etc. – to excel inside Kubiak’s system.
In reality, Kupp doesn’t have to be DK. He doesn’t even have to be the slippery assassin who averaged 8.5 catches and 114.5 receiving yards per game as Matthew Stafford’s favorite target in 2021.
But can he still create separation? Can he provide Darnold a reliable target and win 50/50 balls? Can he enthusiastically block, a skill set drilled into him at Davis High? Can he navigate the negativity and imbue a shared belief?
Can he transcend silly comparisons?
We’ll all see soon enough.