Former Vikings Pick Activated Just Days Before the Super Bowl
A player the Vikings once cut is now one step away from a Super Bowl ring.
Former Vikings third-round pick Chazz Surratt has been activated from injured reserve by the Seattle Seahawks just days before Super Bowl LX. The linebacker — who missed the second half of the 2025 season with an ankle injury — has been cleared to return and rejoin Seattle’s roster in time for the league’s biggest game, which is only five days away.
Surratt, a Seattle special teams stalwart this season, played in 11 games before landing on injured reserve in late November due to an ankle injury. On Tuesday, the NFC champions announced he’s ready to return just in time.
Seahawks writer John Boyle reported, “The Seahawks activated linebacker Chazz Surratt from injured reserve on Tuesday, adding back to the roster a key special teams player ahead of Super Bowl LX. Rookie tackle Amari Kight was placed on injured reserve to make room on the 53-man roster.”
Surratt made 11 tackles in his 11 appearances this season. Initially drafted by the Vikings in the third round of the 2021 Draft, he’s now on his fourth NFL team.
That third round featured four picks. Those included quarterback Kellen Mond, offensive guard Wyatt Davis, and pass-rusher Patrick Jones. Davis and Mond were NFL disasters, while Jones has carved out a nice role, even getting paid a decent salary by the Carolina Panthers last offseason.
Surratt, meanwhile, has been a valuable special-teams player in his NFL career. He played nine games (no starts) with the Vikings, logging 98 snaps on special teams and none on defense. When the new regime arrived, Surratt failed to keep his roster spot and was released following the 2022 preseason.
His college career was quite eventful. He was recruited to North Carolina to play quarterback and was named the starter in 2017, his redshirt freshman year. Due to inconsistencies, the Tar Heels benched him. Year three didn’t go as planned either. First, he was suspended, and later, he suffered a season-ending injury as a backup.
Instead of going the transfer route, the athletic passer switched to linebacker. Prior to the move, Sam Howell, another ex-Viking, also joined the QB competition. Surratt immediately became a full-time starter at linebacker and recorded 115 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 15 tackles for loss in his first year on defense. After another productive season in 2020, he entered the Draft.
He looked pretty raw when he joined the Vikings, which isn’t too surprising considering his only two seasons of experience at the position. The new regime didn’t share Rick Spielman’s vision for him and parted ways.
The New York Jets picked him up and paid his checks for three seasons, in which he played in 32 games, even starting five contests. After a failed preseason try-out with the 49ers, the Seahawks picked him up and he’s been with the Super Bowl contenders ever since.
For Seattle, the move makes plenty of sense. Surratt isn’t returning to play 40 defensive snaps, but he has been one of their core special-teams guys all season. That role matters more than people think, especially in the postseason. Coaches value players they can trust on coverage units, and Surratt has carved out that niche throughout his career. He runs well, plays hard, and usually does his job without mistakes.
Getting that type of depth back days before the Super Bowl is a small but useful boost. One tackle on kickoff or punt coverage can flip field position, and that’s often the difference in tight games. At the very least, it gives Seattle another experienced body they’re comfortable putting on the field.
And for Surratt, simply being active on Super Bowl Sunday is a nice turnaround considering where his career stood a few years ago. Last year, Vikings picks from 2022, Lewis Cine and Nick Muse, won a chip with the Eagles. Surratt and his buddies Sam Darnold, Cam Akers, and Shaq Griffin want to do the same with the Seahawks.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.