Cooper Kupp emerged as one of the NFL's most reliable backup quarterbacks during his lengthy run with the Dallas Cowboys, going 9–5 as a starter stepping in for Dak Prescott. Now, for just the second time of his career, he joins another franchise and will back up one of the league's best quarterbacks: the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson.
Rush had been entrenched with the Cowboys, spending 2017 to '20 and then '20 to '24 with the team, separated be a brief stint with the New York Giants between his two Dallas tenures. Now, he joins the Ravens on a two-year, $12.2 million deal.
He wasn't expecting the move, he admitted to The Lounge, the franchise's podcast.
"It kind of came out of nowhere, and [I] was super excited when my agent said the Ravens called," Rush said. "Obviously, from afar there in Dallas, you see the Ravens are a well-run, good organization. Obviously, tons of success, especially recently. So, I was like, wow, O.K., this is sweet. It materialized, and here we are."
Rush played for some pretty successful teams during his Dallas years, winning the NFC East three times and making four playoff trips. Baltimore has been one of the NFL's most consistent winners since Jackson took over as full-time starter, but it is still chasing a Super Bowl run. The Ravens missed the playoffs completely in '21 and Jackson was out for the postseason in '22, years in which the two-time MVP quarterback missed significant time.
That situation won't be a shock to Rush, who did his best to stabilize the Cowboys when Prescott missed chunks of time.
"It's really exciting to be on a good team," Rush said. "You get to 9–5, we had some good teams down there in Dallas, so you don't have to play out of yourself. You can play within yourself, do your job, rely on your teammates, and I think you have a similar situation here. Really good offense. Just kind of go do your job, get the ball to the fast guys, let them work, and do whatever you need to do to go win."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former Cowboys QB Shares Excited Reaction to Signing With Ravens to Back Up Lamar Jackson.
