The Seattle Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl after a dramatic 31–27 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. Under the Lumen Field lights, the moment turned personal. Ernest Jones IV and Cooper Kupp once delivered a title to the Rams. Now, they helped send them home. The Seahawks advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in 11 years, setting up a rematch with the New England Patriots.
Jones did not hold back after the game, according to The Athletic’s Michael Silver. “They were done with him,” Ernest Jones IV said, reflecting on how the Rams moved on from Cooper Kupp. The Seahawks’ second-team All-Pro linebacker knew the feeling well after being traded to the Tennessee Titans before the 2024 season. “(They said), ‘He’s not worth it.’ They said that about a lot of us.”
Jones understood exactly what Kupp was facing. When the Rams released the former Super Bowl MVP last March, the Seahawks linebacker reached out right away. “I texted him and let him know — ‘I understand the situation; I’ve been there. This team that we’ve got here, it’s special. If you come and join us, I believe we’ve got a chance to (go) to the Super Bowl. We want you because you’ll help us win this championship.’ He trusted it. So, for him to be here, it’s everything.”
Seahawks turn discarded players into difference-makers
Ernest Jones IV once lifted the Lombardi Trophy with the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Cooper Kupp was the MVP of that same game. Both were later told they were no longer in the plan. The Seahawks gave them a new one.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba also spoke about Kupp’s moment, per Silver. “I know he wanted to beat those guys. He won’t show it, but I’m super excited we got this one for him. He was due for a big moment — clutch moments — and we all knew that when he gets his opportunity, he’s going to maximize it.”
The Seahawks did more than win a game. They turned rejection into belief. Now the road leads back to the Super Bowl stage. And with history waiting, one question hangs in the air. Can this revenge-fueled run finish with a championship ending?
