“I think I’ve been blessed to be able to run to Cooper for these past three years, and he’s been nothing but a mentor to me..it’s been so exciting and such a blessing to be able to be behind him,” said Puka Nacua, who was drafted by the Rams in 2023, about Cooper Kupp in February this year. Call it coincidence or irony, Nacua made his NFL debut against the Rams’ fiercest rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, whom Kupp will be joining the next season. But, don’t be mistaken; mentorship aside, the Rams wide receiver doesn’t seem too fazed about playing against his former mentor. In fact, Nacua has already taken it up a notch, sending a subtle warning to Kupp before they start coming against each other.

Hopping on Julian Edelman’s Games with Names Podcast, Nacua was asked to express his thoughts about Kupp leaving. Now, instead of channeling his emotional side, the young player decided to bring out his competitive nature. “Yeah, he is gone now. Except I’m gonna see him 2 times a year, so that will be exciting,” Nacua stated, setting the tone for a friends-to-foes rivalry in the NFC West.

Kupp and Nacua, who are often known for their calm and level-headed personalities, are going to turn up the heat every time they face off from now on. “I never really talk smack, and I know Cooper Kupp, out of all people, doesn’t talk smack either. So I’m like, that might be the only day I come out there yapping,” Nacua added. So, no matter what happens next season, looks like the Rams vs Seahawks game is going to be a spectacle every single time.

LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 07: Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Makea Puka Nacua, a finalist for the NFL, American Football Herren, USA Rookie of the Year award, looks on during the Super Bowl LVIII Preview with Next Gen Stats on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire NFL: FEB 07 Super Bowl LVIII Preview With Next Gen Stats EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon144240207699Who could have imagined Nacua, who learned the ropes of a receiver in the big league from Kupp, is now out there sending challenges? That’s the beauty of the NFL. Here, friends turn into foes because football rivalry runs deeper than off-field relationships. However, Nacua won’t find it any easier to beat his mentor. Kupp may have spent 8 years in LA, but his home was always in Seattle. The former Super Bowl MVP grew up in Yakima and even played for the Eastern Washington Eagles football team in college.

So, it’s a homecoming for Kupp in a team who he grew up rooting for. “To be now a part of a professional sports team here in Seattle feels like a full-circle moment,” Kupp said after signing as a Seahawk, with his burning desire to prove himself in a city that made him a man. Well, what can we say, this NFC West rivalry couldn’t have a better story arc.

Meanwhile, with Kupp gone, looks like Nacua has already moved on to greener pastures hoping he can settle down with his mentor’s replacement, Davante Adams.

Puka Nacua on Davante Adams joining him in LA

The moment the Rams signed Adams on a two-year, $46 million contract (with $26 million in guaranteed money), he couldn’t help but gush about the opportunity of sharing the gridiron with Nacua. “He’s somebody that I was a big fan of when he first got in the league…He is God-given. He has an amazing, electric personality,” Adams had mentioned. Well, the camaraderie is mutual. With Kupp gone, even Nacua feels the Rams’ offense could look quite different next season with Adams’ arrival.

“With Davante Adams, it’ll be a little bit of a different look…I mean, the game’s always evolving. Coach [Sean] McVay’s thinks faster…So I’m excited to see what the new thing is going to look for us in the Rams’ offense,” Nacua mentioned to Edelman on his podcast. No matter what the 23-year-old wide receiver expects from this revamped Rams offense, 6-time Pro Bowl receiver Adams is beaming with confidence at the thought of a new partnership.

Just a few days ago, when asked about how defenses are going to stop the newly formed duo, the new Rams WR didn’t sugarcoat his feelings, saying, “Honestly, it’s going to be tough, man.” Notably, it’s been six years since a Rams duo got 1,000 yards each in a season—with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods pulling off the feat in 2019. And the same will be expected from Adams and Nacua. Considering both stay healthy and strike a dominant partnership with Matthew Stafford, the Rams are, more or less, going to be a menace for opposing defenses.