Cooper Kupp is staying in the NFC West, going from the Los Angeles Rams to the Seattle Seahawks on a three-year, $45 million deal. The rising ninth-year receiver is part of an overhauled Seahawks offense that has swapped in Kupp and Sam Darnold for Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett.
How could Kupp’s recent statistical trends impact the Seahawks offense in 2025?
Breaking Down Cooper Kupp’s Fit With the Seahawks
It is no secret that Kupp’s production has been on the decline since his record-breaking, triple-crown-winning campaign in 201, but his efficiency in 2024 dropped to rates we hadn’t seen from the Super Bowl 56 MVP since his early career:
- 59.2 receiving yards per game, fewest since his rookie year in 2017
- 10.6 yards per reception, lowest since 2020
- 4.0 yards after the catch per reception, lowest in his career
Kupp’s red-zone target rate was a career-low 20.4% in 2024, down from 31% in 2023. The former third-round pick’s EPA per target also fell to just 0.05 in 2024 compared to his career average of 0.34, marking a downturn for three straight years:
Kupp’s EPA/Target Since 2021:
- 2021: 0.57
- 2022: 0.20
- 2023: 0.12
- 2024: 0.05
Injuries have been a huge issue for Kupp since his historic 2021 season. In the last three seasons, he has played 33 out of 51 possible regular season games and missed at least five games each season.
Even with the reduced volume, though, he was still a productive secondary receiver when he was on the field. His 1.99 yards per route run ranked 26th among wide receivers in 2024, sandwiched between Davante Adams and Terry McLaurin.
During the 2024 season, Kupp lined up in the slot 63% of the time, the fourth time in the last six years he’s lined up in the slot on over 60% of his snaps. He averaged 2.14 yards per route in these situations in 2024 compared to just 1.70 yards when he wasn’t. His 2.14 yards per route run out of the slot ranked sixth out of 39 players who ran at least 200 routes out of the slot last season
However, one notable stat is that Kupp’s production has not really dropped off when he caught passes from anyone besides Matthew Stafford throughout his NFL career.
Given that Kupp played the majority of his snaps in the slot, there is some redundancy with how the Seahawks used Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2024. Kupp played 63% of his snaps in the slot and hasn’t played fewer than 50% of his snaps there since PFF began tracking alignment in 2019.
Smith-Njigba played 77% of his snaps in the slot in 2024 and 68% as a rookie. Because of this change, the Seahawks had a league-high 1,689 receiving yards from slot receivers in 2024.
Regardless of who plays off the line, Sam Darnold will need to get more comfortable throwing to the slot. He only targeted slot receivers 26% of the time with the Minnesota Vikings last season; that ranked 32nd out of 36 qualifying QBs.
Kupp should help replace a receiving corps that lost two of its three top options in Metcalf (traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers) and Tyler Lockett (who was released). Metcalf and Lockett combined to account for 36% of the team’s receiving yards and seven out of the team’s 21 receiving TDs in 2024.
READ MORE: NFL Free Agency Grades 2025
Additionally, Metcalf ranked first on the team in yards per reception (15.2), while Lockett ranked second (12.2)
Expect Kupp and Smith-Njigba to play far more snaps than any other Seahawks WR if they stay healthy. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak used 3+ WR sets at the second-lowest rate (34%) last season as the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator. By contrast, the Seahawks had the third-highest rate of three-WR sets (78%) under former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Kupp was born in Yakima, Wash., about two hours southeast of Seattle. He went to college at Eastern Washington, about four hours east of Seattle. This move not only represents a second chance in the NFL but a homecoming of sorts for the NFC West legend.
“Kupp may not be in his prime anymore, but he does boost a Seahawks team that apparently wants to remain in playoff contention despite all their trades,” said PFSN Analyst Sterling Xie. “How he fits with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who also lives out of the slot, is a big question Seattle needs to answer.”
Grade: B