Over his eight-year career with the Los Angeles Rams, Cooper Kupp played with just two full-time starting quarterbacks in Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford. Now with the Seattle Seahawks, he can soon add Sam Darnold to that list.
Kupp and Darnold are two of the faces of Seattle's new-look offense, both signing as free agents last week. The former was a thorn in the Seahawks' sides for years with the division rival Los Angeles Rams, while the latter had a breakout season with the Minnesota Vikings.
Now the two join forces in the Emerald City, and Kupp couldn't be happier about it.
"I had watched him quite a bit when he was at USC competing there," Kupp told reporters at Tuesday's introductory press conference. "Watched him early in his career and I thought, in terms of throwing the football, he makes some incredible throws. He's been through some difficult circumstances but his confidence, his ability to, you know, maneuver those things and be able to come back and have the year that he did last year, in this league it's a hard thing to do.
"That confidence that I touched on before, it's not about what other people think about you, it's about who you believe that you are. Him being able to compete like he did last year, I think that speaks a lot to the person. I'm really excited about obviously a great football player, and just seeing how he works, how he goes about his business. I've heard all great things and I'm excited to build this thing with him."
Darnold's outstanding season with the Minnesota Vikings, in which he completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, made him the top free agent quarterback on the market this offseason. The Seahawks emerged as suitors after trading away Geno Smith, and they ended up closing the deal.
Meanwhile, Kupp has a chip on his shoulder after his release from the Rams, and he believes he and Darnold can put in some good work together.
