Kupp, who turns 33 on June 15, caught on with his hometown Seahawks last year after being cast off by the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he won 2021 Offensive Player of the Year on the way to a Super Bowl LVI victory.
The Seahawks — nor Kupp at this stage of his career — entered last season with high outside expectations for any sort of similar ending to that Rams one. Winning a Lombardi Trophy is exactly what Seattle went on to do, though, this time with Kupp playing a complementary role to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who likewise achieved the OPOTY-Super Bowl combo.
Kupp did his part, finishing third on the team in receptions (47) and second in receiving yards (593) with two scores. He produced his third and fourth contests of the campaign with 60 or more receiving yards during the playoffs. Against his former squad in the NFC title game, Kupp hauled in a TD and, holding onto a narrow lead with three-plus minutes remaining, made a crucial first-down catch on third-and-7 to avoid giving the ball back to Los Angeles.
Seattle managed not to punt until 31 seconds were left, then held on to advance to Super Bowl LX, where Kupp had six catches and 61 yards on 12 targets, all team highs.
Of course, those contributions mean little to the mission that lies in front of Kupp and the 2026 Seahawks. They can now operate from a standpoint of knowing what it takes, but no catch or play from last season will directly lead to victory this time around. It took Kupp for years to reach another Super Bowl following his first one, and there’s little likelihood he has that many shots at a third still to go.
Not content to ride into the sunset, Kupp instead intends to to make the most of his next chance when Seattle’s new season dawns.
“There’s moments of reflection, right?” Kupp said when asked what goes through his mind as he sees the Seahawks’ championship banners in the facility. “There’s moments of understanding when you see these banners, there’s a story and a lot of blood, sweat and tears behind each of them. So, there’s a respect for what went into those things and what those stand for, and the journey that they stand for, the hardships that were overcome. But also, at the end of that moment of reflection is the period at the end that says, ‘Well, now what?’ Yeah, that’s what it took. This is what that was and now you’re in it and you’re moving forward, and there’s an opportunity to go and be a part of another one.”
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