Seahawks' Cooper Kupp just got a label that sadly makes sense

There is no denying how great the Seattle Seahawks' Cooper Kupp has been in his NFL career as a standout wide receiver. While he may have never considered the best wideout in the game, there was a time when he was elite and had the best single season of any in his position. 

Kupp has enjoyed a remarkable career filled with outrageous numbers, playoff performances, and championships (of which he has two). These days, however, Kupp is the veteran, lower on the Seahawks' wide receiver depth chart, while others have risen above. 

Despite his age and his decrease in production last season, Kupp is still a valuable piece to the Seahawks offense. That said, he does carry a high price tag in Seattle, which raises some questions, according to an NFL source from Bleacher Report. 

Does Cooper Kupp's salary match his production with the Seattle Seahawks?

Kupp had the least productive year in his first season with the Seahawks since his second year in the league. Despite missing just one game all season, Kupp still only managed 593 yards and two touchdowns on 47 receptions.

Even while playing in just 12 games in his final two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, Kupp's production was still significantly higher. His drop in production upon his arrival in Seattle had much to do with the explosive emergence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who immediately became the Seahawks' go-to target from day one and never relinquished that role. 

Kupp was forced to take on the Seahawks' rarely used No. 2 role because the average No. 2 wideout in the NFL usually gets more usage than Kupp did last season. That said, for all of Kupp's lack of stats in the regular season, he made up for it with strong performances in the playoffs and the Super Bowl. 

The apparent controversy around Kupp, though, is not necessarily his production or value, but his salary, and Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon believes Kupp falls short in one particular category that could hurt the Seahawks down the road.

"The former Offensive Player of the Year didn't have a bad 2025 season for a 32-year-old non-centerpiece, but that's sort of the point. He's slated to cost the team $35.5 million over the course of the next two seasons despite the fact that he was targeted just 4.4 times per game in his debut campaign with the Seahawks. The focus has shifted to Rashid Shaheed," Gagnon wrote.

Sure, it wasn't a bad season for Kupp, but it also wasn't his greatest. Again, this has nothing to do with his value or presence, because in those two cases, Kupp's place with the Seahawks is invaluable. But due to his decreased production, and the fact that it is highly unlikely to rise next season with Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed also on the field, Kupp's salary does go against him.

Shaheed's return to the Seahawks is especially key in this conversation because his role as a wide receiver will only grow significantly, given how lethal and threatening he is downfield. Kupp will enter next season as the No. 3 wideout on the Seahawks' depth chart.

His current pay isn't exactly what No. 3s get, but then again, the Seahawks gave him that number last offseason, expecting Kupp to be the No. 2, and the idea of Shaheed being on the team in the future wasn't a thought. 

What the Seahawks do with Kupp from here is uncertain, because that is a lot of money for someone who may not reach 40 receptions next season. That said, and money aside, what Kupp brings to the table apart from stats remains something the Seahawks can glean from, and that's a commodity many teams don't have in the type of veteran Kupp is today.