When wide receivers Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf left the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Mike Macdonald decided to sign WR Cooper Kupp to fill the gap in the wide receivers room. Despite being a Super Bowl winner, Kupp was already 32 at that time. There were doubts about him being a good fit in a team that’s competing for a Super Bowl, but he turned out to be a pivotal figure in ending their 12-year wait for the Lombardi. While it was not with electric performances, Kupp’s very presence was vital, as it had their star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba excited even before the former Super Bowl MVP had taken a snap for Seattle.

“I was like “ohhh!” It definitely got me out of my chair, I can say that,” said Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the third episode of Making a Champion. “I know that he was coming into the building. Just so much respect for him. The intel he could bring to the team was going to be a tremendous factor for us.

“I love learning from great players, and he is definitely one of those. When it comes to like DNA, our DNA and what we stand for, putting our heads down and going to work, having each other’s back, going forward to a common goal, I knew from the outside of knowing Coop [Kupp] that is what he is about. I was excited to be aligned right next to him and learn from him.”

Kupp spent the first eight years with the Seahawks’ NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams. In 2021, when the Rams won the Super Bowl, he added 1,947 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 145 receptions. It helped him win the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award and earn his only first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. He was also named the Super Bowl MVP.

With such a decorated career in Los Angeles, the Seahawks head coach put his faith in him. They signed him to a three-year contract, worth $45 million. This was an extremely risky move for the Seahawks, as since 2021, Kupp had not crossed the 1,000-yard mark. There were a lot of injury issues that contributed to this, but the Seahawks still decided to take the leap of faith.

In his first season in Seattle, he recorded 593 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 47 receptions. Although these were not great numbers, it was his influence on players like Smith-Njigba that changed the season for the Seahawks.

Thanks to his intel on the game and the guidance, the young WR saw a massive improvement in his form. From 628 receiving yards in his rookie season and 1,130 yards in 2024, he jumped to 1,793 receiving yards. Similar to Kupp, he also won the 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, a first-team All-Pro, and a Pro Bowl nod. And he has credited Kupp for all the achievements.

“I give credit to Cooper Kupp for that,” Smith-Njigba said. “It kind of changed my life, honestly – not being a slave to the result. I’m about the process. I’m about every day. I love the process of this thing. I love getting better at all angles of my life. “The hours that he puts in and the dedication and the focus on the process – I haven’t met anyone like that.

“And I know being aligned with him in life and on this team, I knew that I was going to get better. That’s what great players do. They get players around them better. And I can take a lot from Cooper Kupp – the man that he is and the football player and everything else in between. I mean, when a Hall of Fame receiver comes to your position group, your eyes light up and it’s like you’re in football heaven.”

Undoubtedly, having a veteran like Kupp changes a lot of things for a locker room. Having already achieved success and been in the league for a while, he is well aware of what it takes to make deep playoff runs. Njigba certainly reaped the reward for listening to his veteran last season. While he goes into next season as one of the best WRs in the league, he also earned a rare achievement recently.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba to wear a Gold NFL Shield next season

Last season, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba proved that he is no longer just a former first-round pick. Rather, he has blossomed into a top player who is one of the main guys in the Seattle Seahawks‘ offense. Because of that, Topps has selected him as one of the five players who will be wearing a Gold NFL Shield next season, with the other five being Matthew Stafford, Myles Garrett, Tetairoa McMillan, and Carson Schwesinger. According to Topps, those ultra-rare trading cards will feature those game-used patches in the future.

Last season, the 24-year-old proved his worth, bagging multiple awards. In the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award race, there were household names like QB Drake Maye, WR Puka Nacua, RB Christian McCaffrey, and RB Bijan Robinson. But the two-time Pro Bowler left him all behind with his outstanding performance.

According to ESPN, he ranked fourth in receptions (119), first in receiving yards (1,793), tied for sixth in touchdowns (10), and 10th in yards per catch (15.1). Following an All-Pro performance, there was barely any doubt in Topps believing him to be one of the top players in the upcoming season. Now, it remains to be seen whether the wide receiver can repeat the same performance in 2026.