This Sunday marks the 49th consecutive year in which the Minnesota Vikings will watch the final game of the NFL season from home, as the last time they vied for the Lombardi Trophy was their Super Bowl 11 loss to John Madden and the then-Oakland Raiders to close out the 1976 campaign.
Super Bowl 60, of course, will see the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots. And while the Vikings obviously won't be on the field at Levi's Stadium, several of their former players will be.
Every former Minnesota Vikings player set to suit up in Super Bowl 60
Seattle Seahawks
The most high-profile former Viking suiting up for Super Bowl 60 is none other than Sam Darnold.
Signed by Minnesota to a one-year, $10 million deal in March 2024, basically to be a placeholder for whichever quarterback the team took in the draft, which turned out to be Michigan's J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall, Darnold stepped up when McCarthy went down with a season-ending knee injury and led the Vikes to a 14-3 record with the best campaign of his career, setting new personal bests in completion percentage (66.2), passing yards (4,319), TD passes (4,319), and passer rating (102.5).
When the Vikings opted not to bring him back on the franchise tag, the former No. 3 overall pick signed with the Seahawks and again went 14-3 in the regular season with another strong season, connecting on a new career-best 67.7 percent of his throws for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Darnold has also been phenomenal in the playoffs, completing 69.8 percent of his passes for 469 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions in Seattle's victories over the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, thus earning a 122.4 passer rating.
Darnold was the lone former Viking on the Seahawks' active roster for the NFC title game, but he'll be joined in Super Bowl 60 by linebacker and special-teamer Chazz Surratt, who was activated from injured reserve on Tuesday. Surratt was a third-round pick of Minnesota in 2021 but spent just one season with the team, as he was part of the final cuts in 2022. He appeared in 11 games for Seattle this year before an ankle injury landed him on IR.
Running back Cam Akers and cornerback Shaquil Griffin are also with the Seahawks, but both currently reside on the practice squad.
New England Patriots
The Patriots have far more former Vikings on the active roster than do the Seahawks, a list headlined, of course, by wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who spent five seasons in Minnesota after being taken in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, ultimately tallying 365 receptions for 4,623 yards with 30 touchdowns in 70 regular-season games and another 22 catches for 309 yards and two scores in five playoff appearances.
After four years with the Buffalo Bills and one season with the Houston Texans, Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million deal with New England last March and had a solid first season in Foxborough, earning a spot as a finalist in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year race after recording 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.
The 32-year-old added 11 grabs for 73 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' postseason victories over the Texans and Denver Broncos.
The other former Vikings on New England's active roster for the Super Bowl are center Garrett Bradbury, defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga, offensive lineman Vaderian Lowe, and backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs. While not on the active roster, former Minnesota receiver Trent Sherfield was recently re-signed to the practice squad after being waived just ahead of the AFC title game.