Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp Opens Up After Mike Macdonald Pulled Him From Practice

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 15: Cooper Kupp #10 of the Seattle Seahawks looks on before the NFL preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field on August 15, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) Getty

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp did not necessarily want to leave the practice field when head coach Mike Macdonald stepped in during the team’s work in Tennessee.

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But Kupp made it clear Wednesday that he understood why Macdonald made the call.

Asked about a clip of Macdonald removing him from practice, Kupp said the Seahawks were “working through some stuff” and acknowledged that his competitive instincts made it difficult to stop.

“There’s always a part of you that wants to compete better, that wants to go out there and go in those situations,” Kupp said. “Those practices are a lot of fun. But I understand. … I trust Mike.”

That trust was a recurring theme in Kupp’s explanation. Rather than portraying the moment as a disagreement between player and coach, the 10th-year receiver said Macdonald was ultimately looking out for both his players and the team.

“I understood where he was coming from,” Kupp said. “It is what it is. I trust Mike, and ultimately he’s looking out for his guys, for his team.”

The exchange takes on added significance after what happened to fellow Seahawks receiver Jake Bobo during the same period of work.

Cooper Kupp Reacts to Jake Bobo Situation

A reporter asked Kupp whether he had considered the “sliding doors” element of Macdonald taking him off the field and what subsequently happened with Bobo.

Kupp did not linger on the hypothetical.

“That’s an absolutely awful situation, and obviously everyone here feels for Jake,” he said.

Kupp later expanded on what Bobo’s absence will mean for Seattle’s receiving corps, focusing first on what the Seahawks will lose away from the field.

“A lot,” Kupp said. “First and foremost, just the person that he is.”

Kupp described an NFL season as a group of players bringing their individual lives together around a common goal and said losing Bobo from that process will be difficult.

“Not having him be a part of that story moving forward for this year is tough, it’s really hard,” Kupp said. “I know he’s going to get after things in terms of the rehab and all of that stuff, but just not having Bobo the person around us is going to be really tough.”

Kupp’s comments indicate Bobo will not be part of Seattle’s on-field plans for the remainder of the season, though the press conference transcript did not specify the exact injury or recovery timetable.

His absence also changes the picture for a receiver room that Reed later identified as featuring Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, Tory Horton and rising camp star Montorie Roster Jr.

Kupp’s Response Says Plenty About His Relationship With Macdonald

Kupp’s reaction to being pulled also fits with what he said elsewhere Wednesday about his working relationship with Macdonald.

The veteran receiver praised the Seahawks’ leadership council for creating a place where communication does not only flow from coaches to players.

“Mike does a great job of being able to open that door for communication, not just to go from coaches down, but to go from players up as well,” Kupp said.

Kupp said that dynamic extends to direct conversations with Macdonald, joking that he probably asks the head coach more questions than Macdonald asks him.

“He’s got an open-door policy — at least I think he does, I don’t want to put him on the spot,” Kupp said. “But pretty much if guys go in there and they’ve got something to say, Mike’s great about giving you his time.”

That helps explain why Kupp’s response to the practice decision was notable.

The former All-Pro did not pretend he was thrilled to stop competing. He openly acknowledged that he wanted to keep going. But he also separated that instinct from the bigger decision Macdonald had to make as head coach.

For a Seahawks team trying to manage a long season, that balance matters: Kupp wants every competitive rep he can get, while Macdonald has to decide when the potential benefit of another rep is no longer worth the risk.

And when Macdonald made that call in Tennessee, Kupp said he trusted him to make it.

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