Seahawks' Cooper Kupp looking forward to 'revenge games' vs. NFC West Rival

New Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp will get to face his former team twice per year.

Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) waves to fans following an overtime victory against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Cooper Kupp had several reasons for signing with the Seattle Seahawks. A nice pay day, a chance to return to his home state, playing in a new-look offense with a quarterback he believes in, all valid reasons.

However, there's one more reason, possibly a subconscious one, that's already on everyone's mind.

Kupp, 31, spent the past eight years with the Los Angeles Rams, becoming a star in Southern California. The peak of his career came in 2021, when he led the league with 145 receptions for 1,947 and 16 touchdowns to win Offensive Player of the Year. He then won Super Bowl MVP after a monster run in the playoffs.

Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) celebrates after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Last week, though, the Rams decided to move on from Kupp in a cost-cutting move. While Kupp has no ill will toward his former team, he will definitely have the first "revenge game" circled on his calendar.

"Yeah. I am. I am looking forward to it," Kupp told reporters at his introductory press conference on Tuesday. "That didn't play into the decision to come here but it's a nice little thing on the side to be able to go against those guys, and know a lot of those guys, so much respect for the coaching staff the way they handle things down there. The players down there. I am excited about it, though. It's going to be a really cool thing. When that time comes, it will just be football at that point. But I am looking forward to it."

Of course, the Seahawks and Rams play each other twice a year as NFC West rivals, so he'll have plenty of shots at his former team.

Since his generational season in 2021, Kupp has played just 33 games over three seasons due to numerous injuries. He's still been solid when on the field, but last season, it became clear that he wasn't what he once was. With him set to count for around $30 million against the salary cap, the Rams made the tough decision to move on from him.

Now Kupp enters a new chapter with a division rival, but he'll always look back on his time in L.A. fondly.

"At the end of the day, I'm thankful to be able to walk away from that organization and be able to look back on all those memories, all those experiences, all those things we were able to go through together and the relationships that we had with so many people there, and look at it in a positive light and be very thankful for my time in Los Angeles," Kupp said. "It's something that we'll always cherish. But like I said, we are very excited about the chapter ahead and what we can do in Seattle."

More Seahawks on SI stories

NFL analyst compares Seahawks QB Sam Darnold to ‘tavern ham’

Seahawks 7-round 2025 NFL mock draft goes defense first & second

Seahawks OL target ranked among top 5 remaining NFL free agents

Grading Seahawks for two big trades, first wave of free agent signings