The Seattle Seahawks made another splashy move on Friday by signing wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Not only will the veteran help Seattle, but his subtraction from his former team, the Los Angeles Rams, will only weaken an NFC West rival.
Maybe Kupp will no longer make a Pro Bowl after he signed a three-year deal worth as much as $45 million with the Seahawks, but he has one job, and one he is good at. That is to help his team win games. He has done that throughout his career, and there is no reason to think that changes with Seattle.
But who else won (and lost) with the Kupp signing besides the team overall? Some specific players did. And two non-players.
Winners and losers from the Seattle Seahawks signing free agent Cooper Kupp
Winner: Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
JSN is no longer alone. Sure, the team signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but he is more of a one-note breakaway threat instead of a player who will consistently help the team pick up first downs and keep control of the ball. That is no offense to MVS. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak wanted him to come to Seattle in free agency, and that should be a good thing.
But Valdes-Scantling is not going to take off the pressure of JSN the way Kupp will. The former Rams receiver might no longer be consistently explosive, but he is a constant threat to hurt the defense in intermediate routes. In other words, teams cannot focus solely on JSN for a large number of targets.
Loser: Wide receiver Jake Bobo
Poor Bobo. Sure, maybe it was more of a pipe dream that he could move up into the top three of the rotation, but now he is back to being WR4. The hope for the player and the team is that Kubiak finds a way to use Bobo better in the red zone, but Bobo is unlikely to get many more targets than he has in the first two years of his career.
Winner: Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak
When Kubiak was hired in Seattle, his offensive weapons included Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett. At some point, that had fallen to JSN and nothing. But the team has brought in Sam Darnold and MVS (a Kubiak favorite), and no Kupp. Plus, there is a decent chance Seattle adds left guard Teven Jenkins in free agency next week. Kubiak's offense is beginning to look a lot better.
Loser: Wide receiver Tyler Lockett
If Lockett does play in the NFL again, that is very unlikely to be with the Seahawks. Kupp is Lockett's replacement and a better player at this stage of each player's career. Lockett might have hurt his own future by so often giving himself up easily after catching passes in the second half of 2024. Kupp will not do that and is a better blocker than Lockett ever was.
That is not meant as any offense to Lockett. He was a great human being and the second-best wide receiver in Seahawks history during his time with the team, but the NFL is a tough business. There is simply no room for Lockett now.
Winner: Seahawks general manager John Schneider
Schneider's decisions seemed iffy after having a poor offseason last year, both in free agency and the NFL draft, and when he traded Smith and Metcalf ahead of free agency. The way the team is coming together now, though, he appears to have certainly had a plan.
The defense should be stronger with players such as DeMarcus Lawrence, but the newish receiving corps is a great fit for Kubiak. Now, if Schneider can address the offensive line, everything will be golden.
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