Getty Cooper Kupp tries to shake Carlton Davis III on November 6, 2022 in Tampa.
The 2022 season ended with an overtime loss in Seattle and uncertain future involving head coach Sean McVay, with the rumors of him stepping away from coaching sprouting around the team. But the weekday ends with the Los Angeles Rams getting their head coach back in 2023.
And following the Friday, January 13 announcement that McVay is all in on coaching the Rams, his star wide receiver Cooper Kupp immediately sounded off by addressing the “rumors.”
“Rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated!” Kupp tweeted out with three laughing face emojis.
Cooper Kupp on Road to Rehab
With McVay on board for 2023, he’ll additionally get a healthier Kupp.
The Super Bowl 56 Most Valuable Player ended up missing the final eight weeks of the season with an ankle injury sustained against the rival Arizona Cardinals. As Kupp was joining the rest of the Rams in clearing out their lockers for the offseason, he caught up with the L.A. media Monday on where things are rehab-wise and credited his trainers for getting him on the right path.
“The trainers, at least — I’ve never done this before — but the trainers all feel good about where we’re at, feel like we’re making good time on things,” he said inside the locker room. “I just want to be able to get to that place here where I can get back to training and doing the football stuff again that I love. Things seem to be going really well.”
What were the options Kupp had in dealing with this ailment?
“The options are either don’t do anything or get it fixed,” he said. “At the end of the day, I think the best thing as a player seems to be that if you aren’t able to get it fixed that things can kind of linger, go on, you never really get fully back. I think that was the right decision for me. I don’t think I had any other option but to get it fixed and the great thing is guys have done really well with this procedure and come back feeling good so excited to be able to get to that place and be back to work.”
Cooper Kupp Still Accomplished Rare Feat in 2022
Despite missing out on the rest of the season and watching the Rams finish with a disappointing 5-12 mark, Kupp still managed to pull off this rare feat: He still led the Rams in every major receiving category.
While his numbers were nowhere near his astronomical 2021 production, Kupp still led the Rams with 75 catches, 812 yards and scored 6 touchdowns.
The next closest to him was tight end Tyler Higbee who finished with 72 catches for 620 yards and three scores. But after Kupp and “Big Rig Higs,” no other Rams wideout caught anything past 40 catches.
Ben Skowronek, who was additionally utilized as a fullback and flex tight end, finished third with 39 receptions. Newcomer Allen Robinson, who also had to go on injured reserve during the season and missed the final seven games, came in fourth with 33 catches — his lowest total in seasons when he played 10 games or more. The Rams then have the pending future of versatile receiver and return man Brandon Powell, who’s an unrestricted free agent.
But, McVay telling the Rams he’s excited to work with them in 2023 has reignited enthusiasm among Ram fans and got his prized receiving target claiming his coach’s downfall was exaggerated.