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Seahawks Issue Ultimatum to Super Bowl Champion MVP WR: “Restructure or Leave” After Turbulent 2025 Season

Seattle, Washington – December 3, 2025

The Seattle Seahawks have entered one of the most defining phases of their roster reset, and at the center of it all is Cooper Kupp — the 2021 Super Bowl champion, former Offensive Player of the Year, and the owner of a contract worth more than $100 million. After a turbulent, injury-riddled, and inconsistent 2025 season, the Seahawks have delivered a message that leaves no room for interpretation: restructure now, or be moved this offseason.

According to ESPN Seattle, immediately after the Week 13 matchup, the Seahawks’ front office held a closed-door meeting with Kupp’s representatives. In that meeting, they presented a brutally honest evaluation: declining speed, reduced separation, and the inability to consistently anchor the WR1 role in Mike Macdonald’s offense. More importantly, the franchise emphasized that a cap hit exceeding $100 million over the next two years no longer reflects his on-field production.

Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp enjoying settling in with new team - Newsday

Throughout 2025, Kupp battled recurring injuries, was limited in multiple games, and in several weeks served primarily as a decoy. With Seattle prioritizing youth, cap flexibility, and long-term defensive spending, keeping a massive contract tied to a player past his physical peak is no longer viable.

General manager John Schneider — typically reserved in his public comments — delivered one of the most pointed messages of his tenure, a statement that immediately sent chills through the press room:

“At Seattle, we don’t keep anybody just because of what they did in the past. We need guys who can fight for this team today and make it better tomorrow. And if anybody thinks a reputation or a Super Bowl ring guarantees their future here… this is the moment they find out the truth.”

The ultimatum is now clear:
Either Kupp agrees to a significant restructure to lower his cap hit, or the Seahawks will place him on the trade market the moment the offseason begins.

Even so, team insiders stress that Seattle is not eager to part ways with Cooper Kupp. He remains one of the most respected leaders in the locker room, a mentor for the team’s young receivers, and a proven playmaker when fully healthy. But with more than $100 million tied to a contract that no longer fits the roster’s direction, the front office is being forced into difficult decisions.

Multiple franchises — including the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, and Detroit Lions — are reportedly monitoring the situation closely and preparing to make offers should Seattle make Kupp available.

The Seahawks have spoken.
And now, the future of Cooper Kupp — along with his $100-million-plus contract — lies entirely in his hands.

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Internal 49ers Leak: Levi’s Stadium Security Reveals the Detail That Forced John Lynch to Urgently Call LT Austen Pleasants Into a Private Meeting
Santa Clara, California — As the San Francisco 49ers enter the most intense stretch of their season, with every eye locked on the race for the NFC’s top seed, a moment far from the field has quietly captured the attention of the organization. Not during a game.Not in a press conference.But long after practice ended — when most of the lights were already off inside Levi’s Stadium. In recent days, several staff members working around the facility began noticing something that felt familiar… yet unusually consistent: offensive lineman Austen Pleasants was almost always the first player to arrive and the last one to leave. That pattern came to a head late one evening, when nearly everyone else had already gone home. According to an account from a stadium security staffer — a story that quickly circulated inside the locker room — something out of the ordinary unfolded. “Everything seemed normal that night. The facility was basically closing down, and most people had already left. But there was still one player out there. Not long after that, John Lynch showed up and called him into a private room immediately. No one knows what was said — all we saw was Pleasants leaving in a hurry, like he’d just received a message he couldn’t afford to ignore.” At first, the optics raised eyebrows.A last-minute, closed-door meeting with the general manager — especially this late in the season — usually signals pressure, warnings, or tough conversations. But the truth behind that moment turned out to be something very different. Sources close to the team say Lynch didn’t call Pleasants in to reprimand him. Quite the opposite. It was a rare, direct moment of acknowledgment. Lynch reportedly made it clear that the organization sees everything — the early mornings, the late nights, the quiet hours spent alone in meeting rooms after parts of the building are already locked down. With the 49ers navigating injuries, rotation concerns, and the physical toll of a playoff push, Lynch views Pleasants as the exact type of presence the team needs right now: disciplined, prepared, and ready whenever his number is called. There was no public announcement.No praise delivered at a podium.Just a private conversation — and, according to people familiar with the situation, possibly a small symbolic gesture meant to show trust and appreciation. For a player who passed through five different practice squads before finally earning his opportunity in San Francisco, that moment carried more weight than any headline. It was confirmation that quiet work does not go unnoticed. Inside the 49ers’ locker room, the story didn’t spread as a sign of trouble — but as a reminder. At this point in the season, effort, consistency, and professionalism matter just as much as raw talent. And sometimes, the most important messages within an organization don’t come from playbooks or microphones — they come behind closed doors, long after everyone else has gone home.