Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) leaves the field after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Cooper Kupp Gets Heartfelt Thank You Message From Former Rams Teammate’s Mother

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) leaves the field after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The curtain came down on Cooper Kupp’s career with the Los Angeles Rams upon his release recently. To many, this decision is still shocking and difficult to digest since Kupp has been one of the mainstays of the Rams offense these past few years.

Nevertheless, the former Rams receiver, Kupp has received support and appreciation from none other than fellow wide receiver Puka Nacua’s mother, Penina Nacua. Puka’s mother took to social media where she posted a truly heartfelt thank you note to Kupp for all that he has done in helping shape her son’s initial years in the league.

I never got the chance to meet you but I’m forever grateful for you @CooperKupp Thank you for being nothing but the BEST example for Puka to help him begin his career Nothing is by chance when he landed with the LA RAMS and I couldn’t be more proud and happy that Puka had you for https://t.co/8IP79Y5goR
— Mommanacua (@NacuaPenina) March 13, 2025

How Cooper Kupp Had an Impact on Puka Nacua

Nacua came into the NFL when the Rams drafted him in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft and was not seen as one of the top receivers in the draft. As a matter of fact, he was the 20th receiver to be drafted in that year’s draft class.

However, with the Rams, Nacua had landed in good hands with Kupp there to guide the youngster through the difficult transition of college football to the big leagues.

Kupp has not only been a top wideout for the Rams, but he has also been one of the leaders in the dressing room as well as a mentor to younger wide receivers. No doubt, Kupp’s influence must have had some impact in Nacua’s rookie season as he finished the year leading all rookies in receptions with 105, and receiving yards with 1,486.

Interestingly, Kupp’s leadership qualities are well documented as he took younger receivers and guided them in various aspects of the game from route running, to training, and even diet plans. In fact, Nacua greatly benefitted from all this not only in his rookie season, but even in the offseason when he spent time with Kupp, joining him for early morning workouts and more.

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In his rookie season itself, Nacua recalled during a phone call with PFT how the Super Bowl LVI-winning wideout helped him through a training camp incident that instantly boosted his self-confidence.

“I think there was a moment during training camp. Cooper Kupp, he . . . has been a huge mentor and there was a moment during training camp where I wasn’t having my best practice, but he came over to me, took me to the side, and was just like, ‘Hey Puk, we know what you’re capable of. We’ve seen it all. Go out there and continue to do that.”

Recently, once again during an interview on Up and Adams, Nacua once again tried to describe how having Kupp by his side these past two years has helped him with his own journey.

“I feel like I’ve been spoiled, I’ve been blessed to be able to have Cooper Kupp be my mentor. To be able to follow him and to be able to watch him interact with everybody in our facility, being the leader and the team captain, and then to watch him be a dad and be a husband in the offseason and that time we got to spend together.”

Sadly, though, as they say, change is the only constant and now the Rams are heading in a different direction. Although Nacua will still be there catching balls from Stafford, it is Kupp, the player, mentor, and friend who he will miss.

Cooper Kupp

Los Angeles Rams

NFL

puka nacua

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!