NFL fans are still adjusting to the sight of Cooper Kupp in Seahawks blue and green. After years as the face of the Los Angeles Rams’ offense, Kupp’s move to Seattle in March 2025 marked one of the most surprising shifts of the offseason and set up a new era for both teams in the NFC West.
Why Did Cooper Kupp Join Seattle Seahawks
Kupp joined the Seahawks in March 2025 after being released by Los Angeles. The Rams, who spent the early offseason exploring trade options for Kupp, ultimately decided to release the veteran wideout when no suitable offers materialized. This allowed Kupp to sign as a free agent with Seattle, a move that brought the Yakima, Washington native back to his home state.
Kupp described joining the Seahawks as “a full circle moment,” telling NFL Network, “We wanted to go somewhere we thought we could go and pursue a championship.”
Meanwhile, the Seahawks were looking to retool their receiving corps after trading DK Metcalf to the Steelers and losing Tyler Lockett in free agency. Kupp’s arrival was part of a broader roster reshuffle that also saw Seattle bring in quarterback Sam Darnold and lean on young receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The Rams replaced Kupp by signing veteran Davante Adams, while the Seahawks quickly locked up Kupp on a three-year, $45 million deal. For Kupp, the move was both a chance to return home and an opportunity to join a team with playoff aspirations after eight seasons and a Super Bowl MVP run with Los Angeles.
Cooper Kupp’s Addition to Seahawks’ Offense
Kupp’s addition to the Seahawks gives Seattle a proven route technician and a former NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2021) who led the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns that season. Despite battling injuries the past three years, Kupp’s track record, 7,776 career yards, and 57 touchdowns offer the Seahawks a high-upside replacement for Metcalf and Lockett. He is expected to serve as a primary target for new quarterback Darnold, working alongside Smith-Njigba in a revamped passing attack.
Kupp’s history against NFC West rivals is notable. In 10 career games versus the San Francisco 49ers as a Ram, he posted 55 catches for 558 yards and three touchdowns. However, his teams went just 2-8 in those matchups. Seattle is banking on Kupp to change that narrative and provide a steadying influence for a young offense.
Through the first month of the 2025 season, Kupp has already made his Seahawks debut and is working to reestablish himself as one of the league’s most reliable receivers. As the NFC West race heats up, Kupp’s presence in Seattle remains one of the year’s most intriguing storylines.
Seahawks Players’ Fantasy Outlooks for Week 7
Here’s what PFSN’s Kyle Soppe wrote about the notable Seahawks’ players’ fantasy outlooks for the Week 7 matchup against the Houston Texans:
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold is one of those QBs whose play works better for his NFL team than fantasy ones, but we did see some marrying of the two worlds last weekend against the Jags as he turned 16 completions into 295 yards and a pair of scores.
This was the fourth time in six weeks that he failed to complete more than 18 passes, and with just seven rush attempts this season, there’s essentially no room for error if you’re counting on him.
The Texans have dismantled QBs this season, but that’s as much a product of who they’ve played. I don’t think they are the ’85 Bears, but they are solid and have had an extra week to prepare for a passing attack that is pretty straightforward.
This is a tough week for the middle-tier QBs, so if you have to go this direction, I think you could do worse. The truly forward-thinking plan here might be for QB streamers to add and keep him this week.
Yes, the bye hits you in Week 8, but there are Arizona and Tennessee matchups in November, in addition to a game in Carolina when your fantasy league champion is being decided in Week 17.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The game just looks easy for some of the greats, and so far this season, that’s been the case for Smith-Njigba.
He’s scored in three of four games (in the one he didn’t, he provided the game-breaking play) and has 8+ grabs on four occasions. On Sunday, he was the only Seahawk with a catch on the first three drives (four for 56), and that somehow isn’t even what has impressed me most.
JSN averaged 10.0 yards per catch as a rookie and 11.3 last season. This year, he’s up to 16.6 thanks to a splash play every single week (36+ yard reception in all six games). He’s pacing to accomplish the rare feat of increasing his big-play profile without compromising his catch rate (75% catch).
At this point, even some regression wouldn’t remove Smith-Njigba from the top 10 at the position moving forward.
Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp had his longest catch of the season AND scored on a different play. He still didn’t finish the week as a top 20 performer at the position.
Sam Darnold is playing at a high level, and it’s because he’s comfortable giving Jaxon Smith-Njigba every chance to thrive. This team looks good, but they are doing it without a WR2 that is close to fantasy lineups, and I’m not sure that changes as the season wears on for the 32-year-old.
That’s now three times in six weeks in which Kupp has failed to earn more than three looks, and that’s not going to get it done. Kupp can be rostered, but he doesn’t need to be, and you’d have a real hard time selling me as a part of your flex conversation.