"I might hit somebody on our team": Puka Nacua makes his thoughts known on potential jersey swap with Cooper Kupp postgame

Puka Nacua will be up against his former teammate and mentor Cooper Kupp when the LA Rams face the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium on Monday night. It will mark a return to Los Angeles for Kupp, who left the Rams in March.

In his media availability on Thursday, Nacua commented on a potential jersey swap with Kupp after the game on Monday. The Rams wide receiver, who noted that it will be a foreign feeling to play against his mentor, made it clear that he will be the one swapping jerseys with Kupp.

“Honestly, I'm hoping that he doesn't take it off, because if I see him take it off to somebody else, I might hit somebody on our team. Respectfully,” Nacua said.

Puka Nacua, nonetheless, expressed his excitement in meeting Cooper Kupp once again, noting they've been discussing the reunion and upcoming game via text. This is a testament to their retained friendship despite now playing on opposing sides.

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“I know I’m excited to see him,” Nacua said. “We’ve exchanged some texts. You have some games that you remember the dates, and this has been one that I’m excited for. It’s the next one for us. It’s a big one and it’s the one we’re preparing for, but I’ll be excited to see ‘No. 10’ for sure.”

Puka Nacua on how his relationship with Cooper Kupp began

Cooper Kupp was a well-established wide receiver in the NFL before the Rams drafted Puka Nacua in the fifth round in 2023. Nacua described how his relationship with Kupp, who mentored him to become one of the top wide receiver talents in the league, first began.

“I guess that it’s the level of comfort from the first moment he came in,” Nacua said. “When I first joined the team, he had just had his third son. There was some time he wasn’t there and it was just Cooper Kupp from the Zoom call. “I was like ‘Man, this guy has to be 6’5, 275 pounds.’ He came in and he had the big beard. I was like ‘Oh man, this guy, yeah, he is a big human being.’ Just the level of comfort that I was able to feel with him and the build of communication that we started from Day 1 to where we are now.”

Despite coming in as a Day 3 pick, Puka Nacua was able to establish himself immediately with the Rams under Cooper Kupp's mentorship. He recorded 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns in 2023, marking the league's record in receptions and receiving yards for a rookie.

Edited by Farouk Yusuf