The Seattle Seahawks made a sizable investment in veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp following his release from the Los Angeles Rams, signing the multi-time Pro Bowler to a three-year contract worth $45 million. Head coach Mike Macdonald is hoping Kupp makes the Seahakws' offense more difficult to defend in 2025. Macdonald recently spoke about what makes him so tough to cover at the league's annual ownership meetings.
"You could have him covered on paper, but he's still going to get open," Macdonald said. "That's something you have to experience in-game. You have to account for him on possession downs and high-leverage situations. You need to have two guys on him. He's a little bit different than straight-line vertical guys where you want more of a high-low double [team]. You want him [Kupp] surrounded as much as possible. When you're allocating resources to him, it shifts where the stress points are on the rest of the field. He's a pain in the butt."
Here was Mike Macdonald on the Seahawks’ decisions to move on from Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, and whether their offense is better now — with the draft still to come — than last year. The video begins with his response to a question about Cooper Kupp. pic.twitter.com/Ub15iemnIN
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) April 1, 2025
New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will pair Kupp with Jaxon Smith-Njibga in a new-look passing game. Sam Darnold is the new starting quarterback. There will be very little continuation on Seattle's offense in 2025. Kupp recorded 67 receptions for 710 yards and six touchdowns with the NFC West rival Rams in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald discusses why covering Cooper Kupp is tough
