Kupp: Breaking records in 17-game season 'wouldn't hold the same weight'

Although Cooper Kupp has a chance to break multiple single-season records Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver believes those achievements would deserve an asterisk.

"We're in the longest football season ever played," Kupp said Monday, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. "What the guys did that set those records - Mike Thomas, Randy Moss with the touchdowns, what Calvin Johnson did with yards - what those guys did in 16 games, it wouldn't seem right for those to be broken in 17 games. It wouldn't hold the same weight to me as it does for guys who did that in 16-game seasons."

The NFL added one extra week to its regular-season schedule in 2021, jeopardizing numerous single-campaign records. Those marks include Thomas' 149 catches with the New Orleans Saints, set in 2019, and Johnson's 1,964 receiving yards with the Detroit Lions, set in 2012.

After 16 games this season, Kupp is 12 catches and 136 yards shy of breaking those respective records.

"I just have incredible respect for what those guys were able to do, what they were able to accomplish, what they were able to produce for their teams in those 16 games," Kupp said.

Kupp's 138 receptions and 1,829 yards through 16 games would rank third and fifth all time in a single season, respectively. Still, he'll look to establish new records in Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Pro Bowl receiver has also caught a league-leading 15 touchdowns. However, he'd need more than just one extra game to flirt with the record 23 touchdowns Moss caught in 2007.

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