After a 10-7 season under new head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seattle Seahawks decided to make massive changes to their offense, including bringing in Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback and Cooper Kupp as one his top targets.
Darnold is coming off an impressive 2024 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings in which he turned his career around and led the team to a 14-3 record and a second-place finish in the NFC North. He also set career highs in completion percentage (66.2%), passing yards (4,319) and passing touchdowns (4,319) while throwing just 12 interceptions on his way to his first Pro Bowl.
Kupp is coming off of one of his worst years. He appeared in just 12 games for the Los Angeles Rams in 2024, catching 67 passes for 710 yards and six touchdowns.
Now that the pair are together in Seattle, the brotherly ribbing has already started with Kupp jokingly calling out his quarterback for some off-field issues.
"When asked about being surprised by anything he’s learned about Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp says Sam isnt a good golfer and has basic food taste buds, two traits Cooper says are atypical of quarterbacks," The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar posted on social media. "Says Sam offered to go to dinner and Cooper balked at the initial suggestions because they were so simple (they still went out to eat, though)."
When a fan asked if Darnold is sticking strictly to the dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, Dugar clarified Kupp's insinuation.
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"Basically. Cooper joked that upon hearing Sam's suggestions it sounded like they were just going to get chicken strips and fries," Dugar wrote. "Cooper then said that's essentially what his six-year-old eats at home, so he'd rather do something a little better."
NFL quarterbacks are known to spend a ton of time on the golf course when they're away from the football field, so it's notable that Darnold's game is lacking. Maybe he's been focusing hard on trying to improve at his job first.
As for the food, those dinosaur nuggets are delicious at any age, but when you sign a $100 million deal, you're expected to step up the extravagance of your meals. That's why Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes still gets roasted for having ketchup with his steak.
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