4 Former Vikings Heading to Super Bowl LVIII
Super Bowl LVIII’s matchup is set after Championship Sunday, a day featuring the largest meltdown in the history of the NFC Championship courtesy of the Detroit Lions.
The Kansas City Chiefs downed the Baltimore Ravens on the other side of the bracket, so the world will experience a Super Bowl LIV rematch in 12 days between those very Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
4 Former Vikings Heading to Super Bowl LVIII
As part of the contest, four former Minnesota Vikings personalities will partake. These are those men listed alphabetically. Please note: Jerick McKinnon, a running back for the Chiefs, was excluded because of injured reserve status.
1. Blake Bell
TE | Chiefs
This Chiefs pass-catcher is the TE3 behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray. He isn’t dating Taylor Swift, but he did catch 5 passes for 26 yards and a touchdown this season. Bell played 251 offensive snaps in 2023 and is used primarily for blocking purposes.
The Oklahoma alumnus had a brief stint with the Vikings in 2017, seeing action in 13 games before departing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys and, of course, the Chiefs thereafter.
He’s the type of player who could score a touchdown in the Super Bowl while most fans said, “Who?”
2. Jesse Davis
OT | 49ers
Davis joined the Vikings for a minute at the start of the Kevin O’Connell era. Minnesota signed him in March 2022, and he remained for five months. Initially, Davis was on deck to compete for the right guard spot, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah shipped him to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a draft pick late in the summer of 2022.
For now, he’s a practice squad participant on the 49ers roster and may or may not physically play in the big game against the Chiefs.
3. Klint Kubiak
Passing Game Coordinator | 49ers
Kubiak led the Vikings offense as offensive coordinator inside an underwhelming 2021 season, an 8-9 campaign that led to the terminations of general manager Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer. Coaching staffs are rarely retained when a new coach takes over, and with the Vikings two years ago, Kubiak was no different.
He latched on to the Denver Broncos coaching staff the following season but didn’t survive the switch from Nathaniel Hackett to Sean Payton. Kubiak is also in the mix this offseason to land an offensive coordinator job; he’s already interviewed with the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, and New England Patriots.
In San Francisco this season, the 49ers passing game ranked tops in the NFL per DVOA, with Kubiak as the passing game coordinator.
4. T.Y. McGill
DL | 49ers
Like the aforementioned Davis, McGill is a practice squader on the 49ers roster who faces a longshot to play in the Super Bowl. But stranger things have happened.
McGill is a total journeyman with this NFL resume:
- Seattle Seahawks (2015)
- Indianapolis Colts (2015–2016)
- Cleveland Browns (2017)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2018)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2018)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2018)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2018)
- Washington Redskins (2019)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2019)
- New Orleans Saints (2019)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2020–2021)
- Washington Football Team (2021)
- Minnesota Vikings (2021–2022)
- San Francisco 49ers (2022–present)
He had a wonderful summer showing for Minnesota in 2022 but was ultimately cut and landed with the 49ers.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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