There have been many stories told of what goes on in the NFL, but the one that former Minnesota Vikings backup quarterback Kyle Sloter told is one that has to be a new one for any fan to have heard.
While appearing on "The Victory Degree" podcast, Sloter discussed his time in the NFL as a backup quarterback. He shared a story, without naming names, of being told by the Vikings that he was playing too well and needed to tone down.
“I was told when I was with the Vikings at one point that I needed to do less, that I needed to go out there and do worse in the preseason because it was creating an atmosphere that was not what they wanted.
They don't want competition between a backup quarterback and a starter. They don't want a controversy. They don't want those things, especially when you have a lot of guaranteed money on a guy that's going to play no matter what.
I have had people tell me that in order to make it as a backup in the league year after year after year, you have to play like a backup, and it just was never me. It was never me to not go out there and compete.
It was never me to go out there and not feel like 'Hey, if I'm not the starter.' My mindset is I'm going to be the starter someday. I'm going to be better than the starter. I was very supportive of the people and understood my situation and my role."
Kyle Sloter's claims are unprecedented for the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings
Sloter added that there were NFL teams he was on where lies were being told about him.
"The lies that were told about me by management at certain teams that I was at, I hesitate to use blackball because I don't like that term, there were things said about me that made people hesitate to take me on teams that were not true that I had to do some damage control that we ultimately got through, but it altered the trajectory of my career."
Sloter was a backup quarterback on and off in the NFL from 2017 through 2022. He played for seven teams, but spent the most time with the Vikings. Sloter was in Minnesota in 2017, 2018, and 2021. Sloter never threw a pass during any NFL regular season.
The only professional football experience he has in the regular season was with the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL in 2022 and with the Arlington Renegades in the XFL in 2023. His last time on a football team was in 2023 with the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL. While in the USFL, he led the Breakers to the playoffs and was named to the All-USFL team.
If Sloter is correct about the Vikings, that would mean this would have happened during the Mike Zimmer era, when he was the head coach, whether that was in 2017, 2018, or 2021. Sloter didn't mention which coach or coaches had told him what was said.
It certainly raises some interesting thoughts on what is happening behind the scenes with the Vikings during that time, whether it is common practice to tell backups not to play better than the quarterback, or teams telling lies to affect their careers, remains unknown. That's an era of Vikings football that had some nice moments, but everyone has moved on to focus on the 2025 team.