Rams Sean McVay Gets Candid on Cooper Kupp's Return

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams are set to host the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium this week, with the contest setting up the return of franchise legend Cooper Kupp

The Culture Builder

From day one, Kupp was in the Rams' wide receiver room as McVay reinvented offensive football. His scheme requires receivers to run solid routes, catch the ball in tight windows, and for players to block defenders who might be bigger than them.

Kupp, who built that strong culture in the wide receiver room with position coach Eric Yarber, left the room in a much better place than he found it, with his fingerprints all over the modern construction of the team's pass catchers.

“An instrumental role," stated McVay on Kupp's lasting impact. "I think seeing is better than said. When you talk about a guy that represented a lot of the things that have been right that we want to be able to abide by, [Wide Receiver] Cooper [Kupp] did that on a day-to-day basis. He knew when to be able to speak up at the right time, but it was through his work. He modeled the way and I think that's really cool. He's got incredible competitive character. He's got incredible competitive stamina and work capacity. And then who he is as a human being."

Sep 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (rear) greet each other after playing at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

"You guys know from getting to know him what a special human he was. There's a certain type of person…we want different personalities. I think that's what's beautiful about the collection of people that come together for a football team, but I do think that when people are thrust into leadership roles, there's a certain example and there's a certain standard that becomes what the norms are and what's expected. He's elevated a lot of people in this building."

Nov 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay walks on the field prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

"I think he'd be the first to tell you, he got a chance to really learn from some great guys when he first came in whether that was the way that he and Robert Woods kind of took over that room, even watching Brandin Cooks, watching the way [Andrew] Whitworth led and then how he organically and authentically just grew into a guy that was a captain every single year that was consistently impacting and influencing positive change.”

The Opposing Sidelines

For McVay, this season has been a trip down memory lane. The nine-year head coach has gone up against a multitude of former players and assistants this season and will continue to do so after this week.

With this being the first time McVay has ever coached against Kupp, he spoke on what it's like game planning against a player whom he knows on such a close level.

“Yeah, it's happened a lot," stated McVay. "There's a lot of love. I think this is about the Rams versus the Seahawks, but you don't deny and you're not naive to what this guy has meant to the franchise. His rookie year coincides with the first year that I was fortunate enough to get here. There are a lot of touch points."

"There’s a lot of love. I think you definitely acknowledge that, but at the end of the day, you still do have a job and a responsibility to the collective. We're going to do the best that we can to try to be able to slow Seattle down, whether that's offensively, defensively or in the kicking game. He looked good yesterday. I saw he had two big catches. The one that he had a great run after the catch and we'll see if we can prevent things like that from happening.”

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