Rams WR Cooper Kupp named 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year

No wide receiver has ever won NFL MVP, but Cooper Kupp couldn’t have had a more valuable season at his position.

The proof is in the productivity — from both him and the Rams.

After claiming the first receiving triple crown in more than a decade, and just the fifth in history, Kupp was voted the 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday during NFL Honors. He’s only the third wideout to earn the award.

Kupp tallied 35 of a possible 50 votes with Colts running back Jonathan Taylor finishing runner-up with 10 votes. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (three) and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (two) received votes, as well.

Kupp, of course, isn’t done. He’ll have a chance to add to his hardware in Super Bowl LVI versus the Bengals on Sunday. He’s already responsible for the most prolific receiving season ever.

That’s right. Kupp’s 145 catches and 1,947 receiving yards were the second-highest totals in league history. No one has come close to approaching both of those marks in the same season, much less with 16 TDs. He’s tallied an unprecedented 170 catches and 2,333 receiving yards over the 20 games he’s played including playoffs. His 20 touchdown catches overall are tied for fourth-most all time.

It’s all the product of Kupp seemingly reaching a physical and mental peak in 2021. He possessed no discernible weaknesses prior, but manifested his precise route running, plus hands, and acumen for lining up everywhere to make arguably the biggest leap in the game. The first-time All-Pro, and Pro Bowler, recorded 90-plus receiving yards in 13 straight games (most in Super Bowl era) and 16 overall (most in NFL history). His 11 games with 100-plus yards tied the NFL record.

The Rams needed every bit of it to win the grueling NFC West and make it back to the Super Bowl.

Kupp has led the team in catches this season 19 times and in receiving yards 18 times, constantly finding soft spots in zone defenses while proving to be virtually unguardable versus man coverage. After Robert Woods was lost in early November to a season-ending injury, Matthew Stafford kept finding Kupp. The fifth-year wideout’s per-game averages in catches and yards only increased down the stretch despite the increased attention. In the playoffs, he made the two biggest catches in a three-point win over the Buccaneers, and he snagged both of Stafford’s touchdown throws in a three-point, NFC title game win over the 49ers.

Injuries prevented Kupp from playing in the closing games of the Rams’ previous two playoff runs, both of which were losses. This super season of his fittingly ends Sunday — and it will be remembered forever.

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