For the first time in his career this season, wide receiver Cooper Kupp geared up in a uniform that was not that of his longtime team, the Los Angeles Rams, having signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
However, Sunday will give him the opportunity to reunite with one of his coaches from Los Angeles, who just so happens to now be the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Liam Coen, who was the wide receivers coach for the Rams during a majority of Kupp’s tenure.
Unfortunately, Coen was the offensive coordinator for the Kentucky Wildcats during Kupp’s legendary 2021 season that saw him win the receiving Triple Crown, catching 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, while leading the Rams to a Super Bowl championship, a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
How Much Kupp Means to Coen
As much as Kupp learned from Coen, the head coach came to learn and respect his former star wide receiver, and made that very clear in his pregame press conference, even as going as far as wanting to name his son after the former Offensive Player of the Year.
“Cooper, I almost named my son Cooper, so that’s how much respect I have for him,” Coen told reporters. “He has sent me texts throughout my career, just, ‘thinking about you, hope you’re doing great, proud of you.’ Definitely more than just a player-coach relationship. I learned so much more from him and guys like Matthew [Stafford], I learned so much more from them than I think I ever could’ve given them as a coach.”
Coen is fresh off of a big win last Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs after quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s late heroics, and will now take on Kupp and the Seahawks on Sunday.
Kupp may have taken more of a backseat role in the passing game to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but his prowess is still evident on the field, even four years after his monumental season.
