SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cooper Kupp’s first foray into NFL free company in the end led him to Seattle.
However earlier than the veteran large receiver signed with the Seahawks final spring, he drew curiosity from their Tremendous Bowl LX opponent, the Patriots.
“That they had reached out,” Kupp mentioned Wednesday at Seattle’s Tremendous Bowl resort. “They have been , then they sort of went darkish. So I believe there was one thing there initially, nevertheless it by no means (superior).”
The Tremendous Bowl LVI MVP, who was launched by the Los Angeles Rams final March, mentioned he “would have been open” to signing with the Patriots as a result of they checked an necessary field on his next-team guidelines: a fascinating setup at quarterback with second-year professional Drake Maye.
“That complete time was so loopy,” Kupp mentioned. “I’d by no means skilled that earlier than. And so it was a kind of issues the place you sort of are open to loads of totally different conditions. You’ve gotten a number of issues I believe that you simply’re in search of, and certainly one of them was a quarterback state of affairs that was good. (The Patriots) actually had that, so I believe that was one thing that we might have been open to if it had come to it.”
Kupp wound up touchdown a three-year, $45 million contract from the Seahawks. The Patriots, who have been available in the market for a difference-making veteran receiver, signed Stefon Diggs for $63.5 million over three years.
These strikes labored out properly for all events.
Diggs grew to become the No. 1 wideout New England’s offense had lacked for years, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns in his return from a torn ACL. Kupp’s 47-catch, 593-yard, two-score season was a far cry from his Triple Crown marketing campaign in 2021 (145-1,947-16), however the 32-year-old was a stable second possibility for Seahawks QB Sam Darnold behind first-team All-Professional Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Kupp transformed three second-half third downs within the Seahawks’ NFC Championship win over the Rams, together with the game-deciding landing. Now, he’ll face the Patriots in a Tremendous Bowl for the second time after shedding to Invoice Belichick, Tom Brady and Co. in Tremendous Bowl LIII.
“They play collectively,” Kupp mentioned of the Patriots’ protection, which has allowed 8.7 factors per sport this postseason. “They benefit from their alternatives as a result of they’ve bought guys that may catch the ball. They’ve proven again and again, it’s not simply knocking the ball down, it’s catching the ball and turning it into turnovers. They’ve achieved an important job of that.
“Simply actual good soccer gamers that play collectively. I believe greater than something, if you play laborious and play collectively, that’s the signal of a superb protection, and so they’ve achieved that again and again. … They’re going to current an important problem, as you’d count on in a Tremendous Bowl.”
