Mike Macdonald has experienced coaching against receiver Cooper Kupp, so he has an appreciation for what the receiver can do in Seattle's revamped offense for 2025.
Kupp, 31, was released by the Rams at the start of the new league year last month. He ended up with the Seahawks on a three-year deal worth a reported $45 million.
At the annual league meeting on Tuesday, Macdonald explained the challenges he faced when scheming against Kupp — which he’ll now get to deploy while coaching him.
“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. So, he’s a guy that you have to account for on a lot of possession downs, high-leverage situations where we’ve got to have two guys on this guy. It’s a little bit different than some straight-line, vertical guys where you want more of a high-low double. You want him surrounded as much as possible. You’re allocating resources over there, it kind of shifts where those stress points are on the rest of the field.
“So, yeah, he’s a pain in the butt.”
Kupp has not played more than 12 games in a season since he put up one of the best-ever years for a wideout in 2021, winning AP offensive player of the year and Super Bowl LVI MVP. In 2024, he caught 67 passes for 710 yards with six touchdowns in 12 games for the Rams.
