Cooper Kupp posted one of the best seasons in NFL history in 2021. In fact, according to Pro-Football Reference’s Approximate Value, Kupp’s season ranked 21st in Super Bowl Era history.
With the Rams, Kupp brought in the second-most receptions in a single season with 145 (4 behind Michael Thomas), second-most receiving yards with 1,947 (17 behind Calvin Johnson), and the 16th most receiving touchdowns with 16. All three of these totals lead the league last season, giving Kupp the fourth Triple Crown in the Super Bowl era.
The most-recent receiver to lead in all three categories before Kupp was Steve Smith in 2005, with Sterling Sharpe and Jerry Rice being the only others to wear the crown.
When it comes to the comparison of their season’s however, nobody comes close to Kupp’s totals. Kupp had 37 more receptions, 384 more yards, and 3 more touchdowns than the second-most of this group.
While Kupp’s season should be praised, some of this domination is due to the shift of today’s passing league. So, if we balance these four seasons to the same league average, how different do their numbers stack up?
| Player | Cooper Kupp | Jerry Rice | Sterling Sharpe | Steve Smith |
| G | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Rec | 1,23 15.4% DEF | 1,12 11.7% INF | 119 9.7% INF | 102 1.2% DEF |
| Yds | 1,753 -40 | 1,570 +166 | 1,576 +214 | 1,585 +121 |
| Y/R | 14.3 6.4% INF | 14.1 6.4% DEF | 13.3 1.7% DEF | 15.6 2.6% INF |
| TD | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
| TD% | 11% | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| R/G | 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.4 | 6.4 |
| Y/G | 103.1 | 98.1 | 98.5 | 99.1 |
Even with the loss of 11 receptions, 40 yards, he only loses the advantage in touchdowns by one. Jerry Rice’s touchdown percentage of 13% gives him the boost, which is no surprise considering Rice’s 22 receiving touchdowns in 1987 are second-most all-time to Randy Moss’ 23 in 2007, but with inflation, Rice would actually surpass Moss with around 25 scores that year.
Looking back at Kupp, his once wide margin has certainly shrunk, and the benefit of an extra game may be keeping him at the top. So, at their 16-game rate, how would Rice, Sharpe and Smith fare with an extra game?
| Player | Cooper Kupp | Jerry Rice | Sterling Sharpe | Steve Smith |
| G | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Rec | 123 -22 | 119 +19 | 126 +18 | 108 +5 |
| Yds | 1,753 -194 | 1,668 +166 | 1,675 +214 | 1,684 +121 |
| Y/R | 14.3 6.4% INF | 14.1 6.4% DEF | 13.3 1.7% DEF | 15.6 2.6% INF |
| TD | 14 -2 | 15.4 +2.4 | 15.2 +2.2 | 13 +1 |
| TD% | 11% | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| R/G | 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.4 | 6.4 |
| Y/G | 103.1 | 98.1 | 98.5 | 99.1 |
Kupp’s big-play ability allowed him to still lead in receiving yards, but he losses the advantage in receptions to Sterling Sharpe by three catches. Kupp was able to produce these high receiving yard totals not only because of his chemistry with Stafford, who had the highest adjusted yards per attempt of a quarterback with over 600 attempts, but also because Kupp is so talented after the catch.
846 of his total yards this season came after the catch, and he ranked amongst the top of the league in yards after catcher over expected with plus-1.3.
These factors combined for Kupp producing the highest mark in yards per game from a wide receiver since Antonio Brown in 2015, and the eighth-highest mark in NFL history.
