‘Hard Knocks’ highlights Kupp’s behind-the-scenes value to Seahawks

Ever since veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp signed with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, teammates and coaches have consistently praised the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year for the massive behind-the-scenes impact he makes with his football wisdom and IQ.

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That was on display in the premiere of the Seahawks’ season of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” on Tuesday night – especially during a particular scene that featured Kupp watching film in head coach Mike Macdonald’s office.

As Kupp says something inaudible to his defensive mastermind head coach, a light suddenly clicks in Macdonald’s head.

“Oh, they’re just doing it under center,” Macdonald said before smiling and giving Kupp a fist bump. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Glad I could help,” Kupp responded with a laugh.

Cooper Kupp's leadership has been invaluable to the Seahawks 💯

Watch the first episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the @seahawks now on @hbomax pic.twitter.com/sfBKla279J

— NFL (@NFL) August 5, 2026

That interaction stood out to former NFL quarterback Brock Huard, who highlighted it during Wednesday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

Huard noted that while it’s complete speculation, his best guess is that Macdonald was studying the tendencies of an opposing team – potentially even the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams, who Kupp won a Super Bowl with in 2021.

“I may be dead wrong on this… but my guess is (Macdonald) is either watching the Rams or somebody in that system, somebody out of that tree, and is like, hey, when they get into this formation or this seven-step drop, why are they doing this?

“And Cooper’s like, oh, this is why we did that. This is why we were coached up to do that.”

Regardless of the exact scenario, it’s a glimpse into Kupp’s value as almost another coach in the building.

“Pretty cool insight again into Cooper Kupp’s football IQ,” Huard said. “We can say that and talk about acumen and all of that. Getting to watch it in real time and the conversations Coop’s having with Sam (Darnold) and with (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) and the head coach – to be able to do that in all those different places, truly, that’s one of one.

“There’s not a lot of guys in the NFL capable of doing that.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player above. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast in the Seattle Sports app.

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