Cooper Kupp Bio
Cooper Douglas Kupp (born June 15, 1993) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). A third-round draft pick out of Eastern Washington in 2017, he spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Rams, where he developed into one of the most productive pass catchers of his era. In 2021, Kupp became the fourth player since the AFL-NFL Merger to lead the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors and Super Bowl MVP recognition. He is the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
Early Life and Background
Cooper Douglas Kupp was born in Yakima, Washington, on June 15, 1993, and grew up in a family steeped in professional football tradition. He is the son of former NFL quarterback Craig Kupp, a fifth-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 1990 out of Pacific Lutheran University, and the grandson of Jake Kupp, an offensive lineman who played from 1964 to 1975 for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints. The Kupps are one of only five families in NFL history to produce three generations of drafted players.
Kupp attended A.C. Davis High School in Yakima, where he was a two-sport standout in football and basketball. He earned first-team 4A All-State honors as a defensive back and was an All-State selection at wide receiver, finishing his senior season with 60 receptions for 1,059 yards and 18 touchdowns. Despite recording 110 catches for 2,100 yards in his prep career, Kupp finished his high school years without a single college scholarship offer until three weeks after his final game, when Eastern Washington extended an offer, followed shortly by Idaho State.
Path to American Football
Kupp signed with Eastern Washington University in 2012 and redshirted his first year before emerging as a starter in 2013. That redshirt freshman season, he set FCS national freshman records for receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, consecutive games with a touchdown catch, and receptions, and was named a consensus first-team All-American. He won the Jerry Rice Award as the top FCS freshman and was a unanimous first-team All-Big Sky selection.
Over his next three seasons, Kupp continued to build his résumé with 104 catches in 2014, 114 in 2015, and 117 in 2016. In 2015, he became only the second wide receiver to win the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding player in the FCS, capping a career that left him as the all-time FCS leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Following his senior year, he attended the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine, and was projected as a second or third-round pick before the Los Angeles Rams selected him 69th overall in the 2017 NFL draft.
Cooper Kupp Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Kupp made his NFL debut in the 2017 season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, recording four receptions for 76 yards and his first career touchdown. He finished his rookie year with 62 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns, was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, and appeared in his first playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons. In 2018, he opened the season as a starting wide receiver and posted a career-best 162-yard, two-touchdown game against the Minnesota Vikings before suffering a torn ACL in Week 10 that ended his year.
Los Angeles Rams Breakout (2019–2020)
Kupp returned healthy in 2019 and led the Rams in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, finishing with 94 catches for 1,161 yards and 10 scores. In Week 8 of that season, he set an NFL record for most receiving yards in an international game with 220 against the Cincinnati Bengals in London. He signed a three-year, $48 million extension in 2020 and continued to serve as the team’s top possession receiver, finishing with 92 receptions for 974 yards before a knee injury cut short his postseason.
Los Angeles Rams Peak (2021–2022)
The arrival of quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2021 unlocked the finest season of Kupp’s career. He posted 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, earned the receiving triple crown, and was named first-team All-Pro and the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. He then delivered one of the most dominant postseason runs in NFL history, capped by an eight-catch, two-touchdown performance in Super Bowl LVI that earned him MVP honors in a 23–20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kupp signed a three-year, $80.1 million extension in June 2022, but a high ankle sprain that required surgery limited him to nine games that year. He finished 2022 with 75 receptions for 812 yards and six touchdowns, and later fought through a lingering hamstring issue that landed him on injured reserve to begin 2023.
Seattle Seahawks Era (2025–Present)
On February 3, 2025, Kupp announced that the Rams had informed him that he was not part of their long-term plans, and after the team could not find a trade partner, he was released on March 12. Two days later, he agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, beginning a new chapter in his career. The deal runs through the 2028 season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kupp is widely regarded as one of the league’s most precise route runners, with an exceptional ability to find soft spots in zone coverage and convert on third downs. His timing, hands, and football intelligence have made him a trusted target in critical situations, and he has been a consistent chain-mover throughout his career.
Notable Events and Milestones
Beyond his Super Bowl LVI MVP performance, Kupp holds the NFL record for most receiving yards in a combined season and postseason with 2,425 in 2021, and the single-postseason record with 33 receptions. He is also the franchise’s third all-time leader in receptions and receiving touchdowns, trailing only Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.
Cooper Kupp Career Wins
Cooper Kupp’s career is highlighted by a Super Bowl championship, a Super Bowl MVP award, an Offensive Player of the Year honor, and three NFL receiving titles from the 2021 season. He is one of only two wide receivers in NFL history to win both Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP, joining Jerry Rice.
Los Angeles Rams Highlights
Across eight seasons with the Rams, Kupp was a three-time team leader in receptions, a two-time team leader in receiving yards, and a consistent red-zone threat. His most iconic moment came in Super Bowl LVI, where his fourth-quarter catches, including a one-yard game-winning touchdown, secured the franchise’s first championship since returning to Los Angeles.
Other Wins and Performances
At the college level, Kupp won the Walter Payton Award in 2015, the Jerry Rice Award in 2013, and was a four-time first-team All-Big Sky selection. He left Eastern Washington as the all-time FCS leader in receptions (428), receiving yards (6,464), and receiving touchdowns (73).
Cooper Kupp Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Cooper Kupp comes from one of the most accomplished football families in the sport. His grandfather, Jake Kupp, was an offensive lineman who played 12 NFL seasons and was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. His father, Craig Kupp, played quarterback in the NFL after starring at Pacific Lutheran University, and his younger brother, Ketner Kupp, also played at Eastern Washington and spent time with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019.
Personal Life
Kupp married his high school sweetheart, Anna Croskrey, in June 2015, and the couple has three sons. The family lives in Westlake Village, California, during the season and in Wilsonville, Oregon, in the offseason. Kupp has been described as a devout Christian, and he has spoken publicly about the role faith plays in his life and career.
2025 Season Performance
Cooper Kupp entered 2025 as the newest member of the Seattle Seahawks after signing a three-year, $45 million contract on March 14, 2025. The move paired him with a new offensive scheme and a fresh quarterback situation, marking the first time in his NFL career that he plays outside the Rams organization.
After battling ankle and hamstring injuries that limited him to 67 receptions for 710 yards and six touchdowns in 2024, Kupp arrived in Seattle focused on regaining his form as a chain-moving possession receiver. The Seahawks’ front office views him as a veteran complement to their young receiving corps, and his precision route running remains his calling card.
The outlook for Kupp in 2025 centers on durability, chemistry with his new quarterback, and whether he can re-establish the kind of triple-crown production he delivered in 2021. With three years remaining on his contract, the 2025 campaign is the first test of whether his late-career chapter in Seattle can mirror the dominance of his Rams peak.