Sarah Barshop, ESPN Staff WriterDec 2, 2024, 06:00 AM ET
- Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
NEW ORLEANS -- Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp played in his 100th NFL game Sunday, ending the game with an NFL record 625 catches in his career, the most in a player's first 100 games -- pushing him past wide receiver Keenan Allen.
He found out about the milestone in the shower after the game, from an apologetic coach Sean McVay who didn't find out about the record until after he had given out game balls for the Rams' 21-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
"He's a special player," McVay said. "He's a more special person. His work ethic, everything that he's about is the right kind of stuff, and really happy for him and really disappointed that I didn't get a chance to recognize that in real time.
"Kupp credited the team, saying, "It's a cool thing to have been a part of an organization that's put me in positions to go do that."
"At the end of the day, we're all asked just to do your job, whatever that is that you're asked," Kupp said. "Sometimes it's like today, and it's putting the neck roll on and blocking for Kyren and doing whatever you can in that regard. And throughout my career I've been asked to do a lot of different stuff, and I'm glad to be a part of an organization that that is a possibility. You got to be able to play around a lot of really good football players, part of a lot of good coaches, and I'm just thankful for the people I've been able to play this game with."
Kupp had three catches for 17 yards on Sunday, giving him 58 receptions on the season. His career-high came in 2021, the year he won the receiving triple crown with 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He capped that season off by being named the MVP of Super Bowl LVI.
"He's been such a big part of this organization since I got here and I know even before I did," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "Just the way he goes about his business, the kind of teammate that he is, the kind of football player he is, the person that he is. So it doesn't surprise me, with the effort and the attention to detail that he has, and then obviously his ability as well. But I'm proud of him, happy for him."
"Those things, they're hard to come by. We'll talk about it right now, and then you'll forget about it for the rest of the season, but he'll always have that. And that's a special thing, a place in history in a sport that is an amazing sport to be a part of."
