The Seattle Seahawks swooped up Cooper Kupp following his stunning release from the Los Angeles Rams. He later watched his WR1 replacement Puka Nacua deliver a valiant effort in the NFC Championship game.
But Kupp landed on the winning side in the end, as Seattle escaped 31-27 at Lumen Field. Yet the two former teammates grabbed attention after the game.
Cooper Kupp is going back to the Super Bowl after a battle against the Rams. pic.twitter.com/m1lIQXYxpd
— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2026
The two shared a long embrace as the confetti started to fall inside the venue. Their hug showed the mutual respect remains — even though Nacua immediately became the top target for Matthew Stafford in the end.
Cooper Kupp taking fellow ex-Rams teammate to Super Bowl with Seahawks
As for Kupp, he's not the only ex-Rams star to make it back to the big game.
He won Super Bowl LVI alongside then-rookie linebacker Ernest Jones — who became the top inside linebacker for that run.
Much like Kupp, the former third rounder got ousted. L.A. traded its rising star ILB to the Tennessee Titans in a money-saving move in 2023. However, his Nashville stay became short-lived.
Jones got traded again but to the Seahawks before the 2024 season midseason trade deadline. He finally landed the big money contract he grinded for in March 2025: Three years for $33 million.
The 26-year-old rose as the top ball-hawk with five interceptions. He piled six solo stops against the first team that dealt him away.
Kupp, meanwhile, took more of a backseat to Jaxson Smith-Njigba…catching just four passes for 36 yards. But Kupp gets a chance to earn a second Super Bowl ring — this time for the team he grew up near while in Yakima, Wa.
