12 Former Vikings Will Compete for a Place in the Super Bowl
Josh Frey
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The AFC and NFC Conference Championship Games will take place this weekend, and a number of former Vikings currently hold spots on the final four teams in the NFL playoffs. Here are all 12 former Vikings players and coaches that will compete for a place in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Players
TE Blake Bell (KC)
Blake Bell spent the 2017 season with the Vikings after a couple seasons in San Francisco. During that 2017 season, he caught 3 passes for 19 yards. Now, he finds himself as the TE4 for Kansas City behind Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, and Jody Fortson.
LB Christian Elliss (PHI)
Christian Elliss spent a very short stint of time with the Minnesota Vikings after being signed as a UDFA in 2021. Elliss was waived by the Vikings prior to the season’s start, and he caught on with the Eagles in September 2021. He’s now played 8 career games for the Eagles (including playoffs) primarily as a special teamer.
S Marcus Epps (PHI)
For 8 games of the 2019 season, Marcus Epps suited up in a Vikings uniform. After being selected in the sixth round of the 2019 Draft, he played almost exclusively on special teams in Minnesota. In November of that year, he was waived by the Vikings, promptly picked up by the Eagles, and has turned into a starting safety for Philadelphia. He started all 17 games during this past regular season.
NT Linval Joseph (PHI)
The Eagles made midseason free agency splashes by bringing in both Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph to solidify their defensive line. Of course, Joseph is remembered for an extensive tenure in Minnesota from 2014-19. Over that time, he started 88 games and recorded 15 sacks.
DT T.Y. McGill (SF)
Vikings fans gave T.Y. McGill a lot of hype during this preseason after he showed out and recorded 3.5 sacks over the three exhibition games. Surprisingly, Minnesota opted not to bring him onto the final 53-man roster, and he jumped on with the 49ers where he played 9 games during the regular season.
RB Jerick McKinnon (KC)
Jerick McKinnon was part of the Vikings roster from 2014-17 as the team transitioned from Adrian Peterson to Dalvin Cook. During that time, he recorded 2902 yards from scrimmage along with 12 total TDs for the Vikings.
3 Practice Squad Players
There are three final players that are not members of 53-man rosters, but they are on practice squads for the final teams in the playoffs. That list goes as follows:
- QB Jake Browning (CIN)
- S Anthony Harris (PHI)
- WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (KC)
Both Harris and Smith-Marsette have been activated by their teams for the weekend, but there’s very little chance that either see much of a role. With Joe Burrow set to take snaps for Cincy, don’t expect any snaps by Browning, either.
Coaches
OC Eric Bieniemy (KC)
Bieniemy is known for helping Andy Reid form a high-flying offense with QB Patrick Mahomes over the past few years, but he got his career started in Minnesota from 2006-10 as the running backs coach for the Vikings, helping Adrian Peterson pave the way towards his legendary career.
DC Jonathan Gannon (PHI)
From 2014-17, Jonathan Gannon was the assistant defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings while Mike Zimmer got his head coaching tenure started. He helped develop players like Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes in Minnesota before heading to Indy in 2018. Now, he’s the defensive coordinator for an Eagles team that ranked sixth in defensive DVOA.
Greg Lewis (KC, RBs Coach)
Greg Lewis may be a running backs coach now for the Kansas City Chiefs, but Vikings fans will remember him as player from 2009-10. Over those two seasons, he caught 25 passes for 293 yards and his game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during 2009.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.