{"id":572985,"date":"2026-02-07T13:43:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T13:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/572985\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T13:43:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T13:43:17","slug":"super-bowl-2026-rams-castoffs-leading-seahawks-vs-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/572985\/","title":{"rendered":"Super Bowl 2026: Rams castoffs leading Seahawks vs. Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SANTA CLARA, Calif.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Receiver Cooper Kupp<\/a> and linebacker Ernest Jones IV<\/a> have been on this stage.<\/p>\n

So has running back Cam Akers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All three started for the Rams four years ago in a Super Bowl LVI victory<\/a> over the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium.<\/p>\n

All eventually were released or traded by the Rams and wound up with the Seattle Seahawks, who play the New England Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl LX<\/a> at Levi\u2019s Stadium.<\/p>\n

Kupp and Jones have been stars and team leaders for a Seahawks team that finished 14-3, earned the top seed in the NFC and then defeated the San Francisco 49ers and the Rams to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cooper Kupps and the Ernest Jones of the world have been here,\u201d Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. \u201cThey\u2019ve given their perspective on how we want to approach the week. They\u2019ve been great.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the field, and in the team meeting and locker rooms.<\/p>\n

Jake Peetz, the Seahawks\u2019 pass game coordinator, was on coach Sean McVay<\/a>\u2019s Rams staff in 2022 and 2023. Kupp and Jones are \u201cgreat culture-builders,\u201d Peetz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo different than when we were all with the Rams,\u201d Peetz said. \u201cThey were part of a great culture, and they saw what it was like, they helped build it, and they had great leadership with Sean. And now they bring those lessons here and they have great leadership from Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kupp, 32, starred for the Rams for eight seasons. In 2021, he was the NFL offensive player of the year and was voted Super Bowl most valuable player. But injuries slowed Kupp for much of the next three seasons and the Rams began running the offense through emerging star receiver Puka Nacua<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last March, the Rams signed star free agent Davante Adams and released Kupp. Two days later, the Seahawks signed Kupp to a three-year contract that includes more than $26 million in guarantees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made it a point, whenever the first time we were actually allowed to reach out to Coop, I had him on the line,\u201d Macdonald said. \u201cI just said, like, \u2018Look we don\u2019t get a lot of opportunities to acquire a player like you, especially early in our program,\u2019 and what better player to bring in early than Cooper Kupp.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the Seahawks\u2019 star receiver. He caught 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns and won NFL offensive player of the year. Kupp caught 47 passes for 593 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

In the NFC championship game against the Rams, Kupp caught a touchdown pass and also had a key third-down catch late in the Seahawks\u2019 31-27 victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my own journey of this last year, to be back here right now is really special,\u201d Kupp said, adding, \u201cHaving going through some difficult times early just does make it feel like, man, there\u2019s like a payoff at the end, but at the same time I know it\u2019s just a product of all the people I\u2019ve been around.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s really been special about this, has been going from walking in that [Seahawks headquarters] building Day 1 and not knowing anybody, to now the relationships I have, and the journey, the highs, lows and the adversity we\u2019ve gone through and to be in that place now where I\u2019m surrounded by a bunch of really great people and have the opportunity to play for a world title. That\u2019s not something I don\u2019t take lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold<\/a> meets with Kupp early each morning to study film and connect about football and life. Kupp\u2019s influence permeates the entire team, and goes beyond leading by example, Darnold said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he does say things, he\u2019s one of those guys where the entire room is dead silent and then they\u2019re super focused on what he\u2019s saying because we know that he doesn\u2019t waste his breath,\u201d Darnold said. \u201cHe\u2019s always going to be able to say something very mindful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith-Njigba said Kupp\u2019s greatest influence was the \u201cprocess over results\u201d Kupp preaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something he came into the building with,\u201d Smith-Njigba said. \u201cAnd once he said it, it just struck a light bulb into my brain like, \u2018It\u2019s about the process. It\u2019s about what we do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Seahawks <\/p>\n

Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones speaks during a news conference on Thursday.<\/p>\n

(Eakin Howard \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Jones, a third-round draft pick by the Rams in 2021, became a starter midway through his rookie season and eventually was voted a team captain. But going into the final year of his rookie contract, the Rams informed him they would not offer him an extension before the season.<\/p>\n

Jones nursed a knee injury during training camp and was traded to the Tennessee Titans. He played in six games before the Titans traded him to the Seahawks, where he has found a home.<\/p>\n

In March, the Seahawks signed Jones to a three-year contract that includes $15 million in guarantees.<\/p>\n

Jones, 26, said he was \u201cin a dark spot\u201d when his time with the Rams ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo get traded from a team, go through what I went through and then to be back in the Super Bowl with my new team now \u2014 going against my former team [in the NFC championship game], no author could write that book,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThat\u2019s Jesus Christ, man. So it was perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Seahawks\u2019 defense was \u201ctransformed\u201d the moment Jones walked into team headquarters, safety Julian Love said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s somebody who is young but carries himself so mature,\u201d Love said. \u201cHe\u2019s the catalyst for everything we do on defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Akers, a second-round pick by the Rams in 2020, played well as a rookie and then made a near miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury to play in the Super Bowl. But his relationship with McVay soured and the Rams traded him to the Minnesota Vikings in 2023.<\/p>\n

The Seahawks signed Akers, 26, in late November, and he played as a backup in six games. He has been on the practice squad and has not been elevated to the roster as a third running back in recent games.<\/p>\n

But Kupp and Jones are expected to play prominent roles Sunday in pursuit of their second Super Bowl titles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Coop, and I\u2019m happy we\u2019re a part of this journey together,\u201d Jones said. \u201cAnd here we go again.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SANTA CLARA, Calif.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Receiver Cooper Kupp and linebacker Ernest Jones IV have been on this stage. So has running…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":572986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,208964,226851,1910,58975,248956,122850,104939,2961,224,5337,248957,17946,90726,7138,2087,5950,21686,1628],"class_list":["post-572985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-cam-akers","tag-ernest-jones","tag-game","tag-influence","tag-jake-peetz","tag-jaxon-smith-njigba","tag-kupp","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-own-journey","tag-pass","tag-ram","tag-rams","tag-seahawks","tag-season","tag-super-bowl","tag-year"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116029646977906666","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}