While the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver room is not going to look anywhere close to the same as it has in the previous two seasons, after it was reported that the team is signing Cooper Kupp, the receiving corps no longer looks like a weakness. Sure, signing Marquez Valdez-Scantling was fine, but Kupp, if healthy, will be a key cog of the offense.
He is certainly an upgrade from the Tyler Lockett we saw in 2024. That is not meant as any offense to Lockett, but he did have his least productive season since 2017, and he often gave himself up after catching the ball. This created some situations when he fell short of a first down, and Seattle had to punt.
Kupp is not going to do that. There is no debate about his toughness, and he will do everything he can to help his team win. He is also a fantastic blocker, which should be more important to the Seahawks in 2025 and beyond than in previous years. Seattle is expected to run the ball much more, and Kupp can help them be effective in doing so.
Seattle Seahawks sign wide receiver Cooper Kupp
To be fair, Kupp is no longer the receiver he was in 2021 when he had 145 catches, but Seattle does not need him to be that. Kupp simply needs to be the Seahawks' WR2 and help move the chains and keep control of the ball. He is not going to be DK Metcalf explosive, but he catches the ball better than Metcalf, and that consistency could help the offense even more.
He also is not going to have the kind of ego that some receivers who want to be WR1 have. That spot in Seattle now belongs to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and will do so for many years. Kupp was signed to a three-year deal worth as much as $45 million. While he will be helpful in that time, he isn't expected to lead the team in receptions for the next five years.
After a tumultuous beginning to March, when Seattle traded quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver Metcalf while also releasing Lockett, general manager John Schneider has made a bunch of quality moves. He signed defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and quarterback San Darnold, and Kupp's signing goes a long way toward fixing the receiver group.
Now, Seattle simply needs to add quality to the offensive line. That could not come in free agency, but in the 2025 NFL draft. If that unit is improved and Darnold is as efficient as he was last year with the Minnesota Vikings, the Seahawks are certainly going to be a dangerous team next season.
Plus, Kupp might feel the need to take out a little revenge against the Los Angeles Rams. Anything to help Seattle get any kind of advantage in that NFC West rivalry is a positive.
More Seahawks news and analysis:
manual