Cooper Kupp has been on the Super Bowl stage before, and that experience showed Sunday night as the clock wound down on Seattle’s championship victory.
With the outcome nearly decided, cameras caught Kupp keeping his emotions in check on the sideline, choosing not to celebrate until the final seconds expired.
The veteran wide receiver, who joined the Seahawks this season after eight years with the Los Angeles Rams, made it clear he wasn’t interested in premature celebration. Having already won a Super Bowl alongside NFL MVP Matthew Stafford with the Rams in Super Bowl LVI, Kupp understood that nothing is finished until the game is officially over.
A steady performance by Kupp
On the field, Kupp delivered a steady performance while playing a secondary role in the offense behind Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He led all Seattle receivers with six catches on 12 targets for 61 yards, his highest yardage total of the postseason and his third-best output in any game this season.
A 23-yard sideline reception on the Seahawks‘ opening drive set the tone, and his 9-yard third-down conversion in the fourth quarter helped set up Barner’s eventual game-winning score. By the end of the night, Kupp was a two-time Super Bowl champion, and his impact went beyond the stat sheet.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald praised Kupp‘s leadership and influence within the organization, calling him “an absolute force multiplier” and emphasizing how valuable his perspective has been on a daily basis. Four years after first lifting the Lombardi Trophy, Kupp reflected on the journey that brought him back to the sport’s biggest stage. He credited the team’s connection and shared belief as the defining traits of the Seahawks‘ championship run, noting that adversity ultimately strengthened the group.
A unique distinction for Cooper
Kupp‘s career résumé also gained a unique distinction. He became the first player in NFL history to lead two different franchises in receiving yards during Super Bowl wins, after posting 92 yards for the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. He is also just the fourth player to win a Super Bowl MVP and later capture another Super Bowl title with a different team, joining Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Von Miller.
Now 32, Kupp’s Hall of Fame case remains a topic of debate. His 2021 season with the Rams stands as one of the greatest ever by a wide receiver, as he captured the receiving triple crown with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, earned first-team All-Pro honors, won Offensive Player of the Year and capped it with a Super Bowl MVP performance. Outside of that historic campaign, his career production has been more modest, averaging just over 800 receiving yards per season.
This year marked a statistical low point, as Kupp finished the regular season with 47 catches for 593 yards and two touchdowns, then added 157 yards and a score in the postseason. Still, when the moment mattered most, Kupp‘s experience, composure and timely contributions played a role in another championship, and his decision to wait before celebrating showed exactly why he’s been there before.
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