Cooper Kupp - Wide Receiver, seahawks Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-06 | Full transcript (primary source).
Cooper Kupp addressed the media during a press conference on September 6, 2026, as the Seattle Seahawks prepared for their season opener. The discussion focused on the team's mindset and preparation as they approached the start of the new NFL season.
Transcript
Kupp: So everyone I'm good.
Kupp: When did you first come up with that being able to catch all those balls like that? I believe it was like Andre Johnson and those guys back, you know the fancy files. He's my mother fancy files commercials. Yeah, so it's just that was the inspiration.
Kupp: I mean takes I can't tell you. But when you look at week one, it means I would think of something a little bit different as a Super Bowl champ. But what are you telling the guys on offense and how to approach this?
Kupp: Yeah, I guess I mean when I'd say no one really takes that approach, you know, right like, you know, you're going into this thing it's week one of twenty twenty six and for all the stuff going on outside of the game. You know, we're gonna be in the locker room getting ready to go play a football game. And so that's kind of where we are.
Kupp: We live in a different world and a lot of the outside world hears all the noise and all the different stuff like we've been in these chairs preparing to go out there and play football game and so, you know, our expectation is to go out there and be able to let loose all the things that we've been working on for the last, you know, five months and so that's where we're focused. That's where our mindset is.
Kupp: And so it doesn't really, you know, it doesn't hit us the same way, I guess.
Kupp: About being a problem solver trying to get from point A to point B on the field. What do you like about the particular challenge of week one when you're not exactly sure what that tendency or game plan is?
Kupp: Yeah, that's a good question because it is, I mean a week one and really like the first couple weeks are really you don't have tendencies to go off of you don't have new film with a lot of guys that you know, they have a lot of guys play in the preseason. So you got a lot of stuff from last year that you're going off of but that's, you know, everyone's playing with that same, you know, that same problem.
Kupp: And you go out there and you just play ball. So, you know, it's gonna be I'm sure there's gonna be for every team stepping out in the field this next week, you know, there's gonna be a great opportunity for people to be able to adapt and move bigger things out, problem-solve and hopefully make things come alive.
Kupp: No, you know, I mean I've reached out to [unclear] we kept in touch a little bit while he was at Eastern Washington. But it's been really cool to see, you know what he's been able to do and make some really good plays for them. So, you know, I hope he's doing well.
Kupp: Going back to the adjustments that you have to make in the season, being a veteran, what do you think is the biggest key at this level being able to do that? Could you have to be able to do it on the fly and trying to pivot in game that way? What do you think is the biggest key to being successful at that?
Kupp: Yeah, I think there's a, you know, I think that's it's the ability to not have too much rigidity in kind of how you operate, right? Like, you know, coaches do a good job giving rules so you can go out there and problem-solve on your own.
Kupp: As being able to come to the sidelines and communicate, I think the amount of work that gets done on the sidelines in terms of your meeting with your coaches, you know, defense is out there for a little while. Whatever's how can you communicate to make sure everyone's on the same page of how we want to get things done?
Kupp: And there's also an emphasis on like, hey, there's plays that don't go right that you know, you're not coming back to, right? And so it's like an element of are you wasting time on these plays? Or the ones that are like where things are come back, come up again for today, you know?
Kupp: So it's kind of a, you know, a specialized way of, you know, coaching to for the for how, you know, the coaches go into this game plan and understand there's even plays that get called a few times that we want to make sure that we can make the adjustments and exercise those things.
Kupp: Your entire starting offense haven't played since February. I mean having had a game rehearsal with your new play caller.
Kupp: Oh yeah, I mean there's there's a, you know, certainly I guess there's challenges there. But I think the coach has done a great job, Mike, and here's how we structure practice even in terms of how we want to operate in terms of having call-up periods, things like that where we're simulating as close as we can to what game isn't, you know, very cliche thing, but you know, you try to make practice more difficult than games.
Kupp: And we did a great job that during camp. And at the end of the day, we've been playing football for a long time. Brian's obviously in the first time play card, but he's called it called a few times this preseason.
Kupp: We get out there and we're all working towards the same thing. So it's gonna be a, you know, part of that collaboration, working together, bring these things alive and you know, guys if yeah, there's like we haven't played maybe together in a real game this year that you guys have seen but we've played a lot of football together this year still and and so, you know, guys are excited about being able to go out there and let rip.
Kupp: Yeah, most most of the time you end up getting like you script practice, right? You have the offense wants to run these where we want to work on these 10 plays. So I make sure we get these 10 plays called and you get the script the night before whenever it's like, hey, this is getting called.
Kupp: You know, call up periods or as much as a game sim as you could possibly can, right? You get your more calling off of a play sheet and you know, as a player you might be given that call sheet the night before that morning like these are the plays that could possibly come up.
Kupp: All right, this is just like a miniature, you know, I call a game or a miniature call sheet. And then you're just playing against the defense, you know, the defense is calling it situationally on what comes up.
Kupp: Offensively you're calling it in that same way. And so it for us it's emulating that same thing. You don't you don't go into the huddle and know, okay, well I know I read on the script these three plays are coming up, right? There's a little bit of a feel understanding, you know, down in distance, what the situations are, you're anticipating things from the defense and then being able to make plays come alive.
Kupp: And even some things that maybe not weren't on the call sheet, but man like Brian wants to get to, let's go, let's go make it happen.
Kupp: You know, I've only been two places but of the two places I was, you know, call-out periods were a common thing.
Kupp: Guys were 27th in turnover differential through like week 11 last year and then you were first after that, you didn't turn it over in the playoffs. You thought that was just a good period or did you guys figure out a little bit different way to operate on offense?
Kupp: Yeah, I don't know it was so long ago I don't remember if there was a button that was found that was pushed and flipped it but you know, it's something you're always working on, you know.
Kupp: And you know, I think there's always that intention and and all you can do is, you know, you dive into your process, right? There's plays that come up, things that happen in football that it's like man, you just, you didn't matter what happened here, like the ball just bounced the wrong way, something just didn't go the way we want it to.
Kupp: And you know, so there's an element of that but you dive back to what the process is. Is it an emphasis in practice? Are we making sure that their habits are being formed? They're gonna give us the best chance to minimize those things.
Kupp: And at the same time as we defensive play players have gotten so good at creating turnovers, being able to have the, you know, the peanut punch and things like that, the way that guys are taught to tackle now, attacking football, it's part of, you know, it's part of the game.
Kupp: And so, you know, for us, it's about our energy, our effort, running to the football, our offensive line I think does a great job of running to the football. So if something does happen, they're there to be able to jump on the ball.
Kupp: And you know, so it truly is a, in all of us, we're all a part of it and I thought we can have helped bring that alive as the season went on. But it was something that was definitely intentionally worked on throughout that time.
Kupp: Emphasis on the 70 instead of the 50, you talked about this a little bit on hard knocks. They captured a scene with that but like the way Mike and John do that here, I mean they're gonna be guys brought up for Wednesday's game off the practice squad. Like what does that do for the team when it feels like everyone's part?
Kupp: Yeah, well I think there's a, there's a confidence and a belief in the 70 and there's an expectation that there's not gonna be a drop-off. It's like those guys are, it's called a ready squad because you're just, you're anticipating those guys being ready to come in and do what they need to do.
Kupp: And we've seen it over and over again just the belief in those guys, you're continuing to coach those guys as well that aren't, again, that's me reps. There's still an onus on them to be able to go out and understand the game plan.
Kupp: And if a number is called like we need you to welcome their expectations no matter who you put out there, like in the receiver room, whoever runs out into the field it doesn't change our expectation, our standard for how we operate.
Kupp: And that's what it needs to be. You know, I think, you know, they've done a great job here of being able to operate under some like understanding the waiver wire is a huge thing, understanding how you talk to people and make sure like, you know, there's me Pete, there's some people that are subjected to the waiver wire, some people that aren't.
Kupp: So there's like, you know, how do you make sure that you got you get guys that you can build that 70 as best as you possibly can and allow as much flexibility as possible because you never know in this game what you're gonna need, who you're gonna need?
Kupp: So yeah, it's something that we take a lot right in.
Kupp: Before but just from day one to now, how have you seen his personality evolve with you guys and kind of that working relationship?
Kupp: Yeah, no, it's been great. And no, it's yeah, it's super cool. He's in an unbelievable job.
Kupp: And I think, you know, it's cool to see even just as the coaches, you know, it's not an easy thing. It's not missed. I think, you know, we have an OC come over, he didn't bring anyone with him.
Kupp: Right. He had to install his vision to the coaches so they could go out and salt to the players. And that's a tough thing to do.
Kupp: But it's been really cool to have that collaboration piece where you see the coaches, you see the players, you see Brian all working together to make sure we get the best, you know, plays out there, best, you know, best putting guys in the best situations possible.
Kupp: And he's done a great job.
Kupp: Mike's talked about it. Every play caller has their first opportunity. This is gonna be his first chance of regular season game. But what have you seen that early on that showed you like this guy is ready for this?
Kupp: Yeah, well, there's, you know, he's definitely has like an understanding of what's happening out on the field. I've been able to see it, feel it.
Kupp: And you know, I think of a huge part of being a good play caller, I've never been one, but just from my standpoint is guys that can visualize what they want to get done.
Kupp: Right like your head's not down on the call sheet, your head's up seeing what's happening and you're calling it based off of I know I want to get our offense into this because of what I'm seeing.
Kupp: And I think, you know, he's someone that can, he does that on a regular basis, his understanding of the offense, how to set things up, how to get guys in places where they can execute and, you know, be able to attack, you know, the vulnerabilities that he's seeing defensively.
Kupp: So I think that's early on seeing how he can do that as visualization on that side of things and we'll call it off the top of his head. That's difficult to do and you know, it kind of shows you understanding of what's trying to get done.
Kupp: Jadarn prices earned a lot of respect from the veterans on the team already. What does a rookie do to make that kind of impression that quickly?
Kupp: Yeah, I think you just show up ready to go, you show up, you know, knowing you what you've got and then when you aren't making the same mistakes over and over again.
Kupp: There's like anything that you do. I think it's not great job just the effort that he brings every single day is consistent and you know, you're gonna get the absolute maximum effort every rep is gonna finish with a burst, you know, and he's gonna get coached and he's gonna come back.
Kupp: He's not gonna make that mistake again and that shows you a lot.
Kupp: And you know, I think that's, uh, that's what you want. That's the expectation for everyone, right? I think that's ultimately what you do if you want to earn respect to you.
Kupp: Do you operate under our standard operating agreement of what we do and he's done a great job of embodying that.
Kupp: What do you like about the way Mike seeks feedback from veteran? Hard knocks that clip of the council and all that and the groupie that is involved every, like I guess maybe weekly talking to him about it. Just what do you like about that opportunity for feedback from players?
Kupp: Yeah, well, I think it's, you know, he's trying to get a feel, you know, what's happening in our, you know, environment in our atmosphere.
Kupp: And I think what happens you hear coaches talk about all the time, but as you move out of the, as you move farther away from the position rooms, you have less of a feel on what's happening, you know, in the locker room with the guys.
Kupp: And I think that's part of it is just making sure he's keeping a feel on what we who we are as a team, what we're about, what we need and making sure things are moving the right direction.
Kupp: So it's just that it's just another layer of that communication that's, you know, from the top down, but they'll set them from the bottom up.
Kupp: Awesome, thank you guys.