Puka Nacua isn't resting on his laurels. Instead of relaxing, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year spent the past two months working out with teammate and fellow Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp at Kupp's home.
The experience was a memorable one for Nacua, who didn't mince works when describing the difficulty of Kupp's workouts.
"His conditioning days were some of the tougher ones," Nacua said during the first day of the Rams' offseason program, via the team's website. "I remember the first week I came back, I think I threw up every day of the week. He wasn't a fan of that, because it was on his lawn and stuff. He was like, 'you're throwing up in my bushes Puka, thanks.'
"But it was super fun, and then to come back in today, it felt like I didn't miss a beat. There was kind of an idea of, 'Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do for the offseason.' But following Coop's plan made it super easy and centered me in the right way."
The intensity that Kupp trains with shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that knows his story. Over the past dozen years, Kupp has gone from a prep player who didn't receive a single football scholarship offer to one of the NFL's best receivers.
In 2021, Kupp had arguably the greatest receiving season in league history. He won the "triple crown" (most receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns) during the regular season before winning MVP honors following the Rams' Super Bowl win over the Bengals.
Kupp's work -- both physically and mentally -- has been the bedrock of his meteoric rise.
"He's not going to go to sleep before he gets something done," Titans cornerback Chidobe Awuzie -- who trained with Kupp when both players entered the NFL in 2017 -- told ESPN shortly after Kupp took home MVP honors in Super Bowl LVI. "He's at the facility all the time, trying to get better film-wise. And then when he goes home, it doesn't stop there. It continues. That may continue for eight hours, nine hours, I don't know. I just know he's a real football junkie -- like a true football junkie."
Kupp appears to be back to his All-Pro form after injuries hindered his availability each of the past two years. Nacua, who stepped up when Kupp was sidelined last year, said that he is still trying to reach Kupp's expectations despite last year's statistically historic rookie season.
"He set the standard for us in the wide receiver room and for a lot of receivers in the NFL.," Nacua said. "I mean, to be the triple-crown winner. I just mentioned it to him not too long ago, I don't know how wide receivers have won a Super Bowl MVP.
"The standard is still set very high, and I don't think I'm close to reaching it."
