The Los Angeles Rams are full of stars, but none shines brighter than the improbable Cooper Kupp
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) celebrates his touchdown catch with wide receiver … [+]
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The catch with wide receiver Cooper Kupp is that he’s stealing the limelight from the Los Angeles Rams’ biggest names.
Kupp’s rising star was seen again in LA’s conquest of the Seattle Seahawks (20-10) at SoFi Stadium. He contributed two touchdowns and 136 yards on Tuesday to ensure the heavy lift for a blotchy offense.
And no insult to a Rams roster blessed with some of the NFL’s best defensive tackle players Aaron Donald, quarterback Matthew Stafford, safety Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Von Miller.
But Kupp continues to shine the brightest with a hit streak that got him on the NFL MVP talk.
It doesn’t matter that a wide receiver has never won the highest individual honor in the league.
“I think he’s a legitimate candidate for a lot of awards,” said LA coach Sean McVay. “But for him it’s about our team.”
Kupp’s side is 10-4, has won three times in a row and is at the top of NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals. While the LA defense dominated the Seahawks while the Rams found their foothold on the other side of the ball, Kupp stood erect.
Going up and down in touchdown receptions (14), catches (122), and yards (1,625) in the NFL, Kupp has set a franchise mark for receptions for a single season. Perhaps he will win the receiver version of the triple crown of the NFL in Sofi, where the legendary Hollywood Park once resided.
Kupp also raced past Michael Irvin and teammate Odell Beckham Jr. for an NFL record of at least 90 yards in 10 consecutive games.
That’s pretty much for someone who earned a base salary of $ 465,000 in the third round from east Washington in 2017.
His rise is almost as shocking as the Rams, who recently had a draft pick to brag about. Instead of selling her draft capital, as is her strategy, Kupp’s selection from a small college could end up rivaling her best in team history.
Kupp has risen to the Rams’ seventh highest paid player in a team that isn’t afraid of handing out juicy contracts.
The Rams have converted their four-year rookie contract for $ 3.8 million into a three-year contract for $ 47.2 million, with $ 35.1 million guaranteed in 2020, according to spotrac.com.
Kupp also scored when LA restructured a wave of contracts in the spring. That added a $ 11.5 million restructuring bonus on top of Kupp’s $ 1.5 million base salary this season.
Perhaps Kupp is among the game’s standouts under the radar, but he’s paid and produced at levels that could fuel a deep Rams playoff run.
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