Veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp found the fountain of youth of sorts for the Seattle Seahawks during the 2025 season. He provided enough production opposite Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be a quality complement to the league’s leading receiver. The question is how will Kupp follow up his solid 2025 campaign.
Seahawks podcaster Brendon Nelson doesn’t have very high expectations.
In a recent video clip podcast on Bleacher Report, Nelson argued Kupp is the team’s biggest regression candidate for the 2026 campaign.
“Offensively, the most obvious regression candidate is Cooper Kupp,” said Nelson. He’s getting older, and he stayed remarkably healthy last year.
“So, it would be fair to expect him to fall off some in 2026.”
Kupp will turn 33 years old in June. He posted 47 receptions, 593 receiving yards and two touchdowns last season.
But as Nelson mentioned, maybe the most impressive feat Kupp achieved in 2025 was with his health. Kupp played in 16 contests. It was the first time he dressed for at least that many games since 2021.
Cooper Kupp Named Seahawks Regression Candidate
Nelson took a common sense approach to picking Kupp as his regression candidate for this fall.
The receiver’s age and injury resume suggest that he won’t be able to play 768 offensive snaps again. That was his most since 2021.
Kupp remained healthy through the postseason too. He made key plays in Seattle’s NFC championship game victory against the Los Angeles Rams. He then caught six passes for 61 yards in the Super Bowl.
Kupp won the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award in 2021 with the Rams. He led the NFL with 145 receptions, 1,947 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns that season. It remains one of the best receiving seasons for any wideout in recent memory.
Since then, though, at least until last year, Kupp hadn’t managed to stay healthy. He dealt with a high-ankle sprain, which required surgery during 2022. In 2023, Kupp began the season with a hamstring issue. The wideout again had ankle problems during 2024.
During that three-year stint, he missed 18 games. That led to his Rams release last offseason.
Kupp should still be a quality contributor for the Seahawks in 2026. But it might be less than what he produced during 2025. His production could be significantly less if he’s not healthy.
Seahawks’ Cooper Kupp Put on Notice Ahead of the 2026 NFL Season