Vikings Will See 3 Old Friends in Seattle
The Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks are travelling on different paths, with Seattle nearly destined for the postseason at 8-3 and Minnesota rudderless at 4-7. The two clubs collide this Sunday, and along the way, the Vikings will see three familiar faces.
Three familiar former players will resurface when the Minnesota Vikings travel to Seattle, adding extra intrigue to the upcoming matchup.
Seattle is favored to win by about 11 or 12 points, and if so, these three players will exact some revenge.
3 Ex-Vikings Will Resurface when Minnesota Meets Seattle
The following three players were on Minnesota’s roster last year.
1. Cam Akers | RB
Almost comically, the Seahawks signed Akers to their active roster this week, just a few days after Minnesota cut ties with him. The Vikings activated center Ryan Kelly from injured reserve a week ago, re-signed cornerback Dwight McGlothern, and kicked Akers to the curb.
Then, a few days ahead of a contest against his former team, Seattle pounced. Akers is a Seahawk.
Akers has been adjacent to Minnesota’s roster orbit in every season since 2023. He can now feed Seattle insider intel.
SI.com‘s Michael Hanich on the Akers roster addition, “This signing comes as the Seahawks saw an increase of injuries at the running back position. Starting running back Kenneth Walker III continues to see problems with his glute injury, leaving him questionable for the Week 13 game. He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, so it is still likely he plays.”
“The Seahawks’ third-string running back, George Holani, didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. There is a possibility that Holain could be out to rest the potential injury, hence the reason Akers is signed to the active roster. Over their first eight games, the Seahawks ranked second-to-last in yards per carry at 3.7.”
Minnesota’s rushing defense ranks 14th per DVOA through 12 weeks of 2025.
Hanich added, “Over the last three games, they’re 12th at 4.4 YPC. It is too soon to be demanding a huge performance from Akers, especially after being signed to the team on Wednesday. There is a personal effect going into this game for Akers against his old team. There will be a call for Akers to get some carries against the team that cut him last week.”
“He is likely going to get a meaningful drive in the game as an emotional boost for the Seahawks.”
2. Sam Darnold | QB
Darnold quarterbacked the Vikings last season, tabulating 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The dude totally reclaimed his career in Minnesota. However, when his teammates needed him the most in games against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and the postseason versus the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold completely and utterly vaporized. A disappearing act.
Then, with the Vikings holstering J.J. McCarthy for 2025, they let Darnold depart via free agency, opting not to match his $100.5 million, three-year offer from the Seahawks.
Fast forward to late November, and McCarthy has played terribly, leading Minnesota to a 4-7 record. Darnold has picked up in Seattle where he left off in Minnesota, and his team has an 8-3 record.
Darnold has a chance to stick it to his former team on Sunday.
The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis and Michael-Shawn Duggar on Darnold, “In Seattle, Darnold is surrounded by believers. Seahawks general manager John Schneider believes in Darnold the person as much as he does Darnold the player. Head coach Mike Macdonald believes in what he saw when his team lost to Darnold last season: poise, accuracy, toughness, leadership and high-level command of the game.”
“Seahawks edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu has believed since he and Darnold were teenagers at USC. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams believed when they were together with the New York Jets. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak believed this system, the same one they ran when they were together in San Francisco, would maximize Darnold’s skills.”
Yes, it’s the game fans circled on the schedule back in May.
3. Shaquill Griffin | CB
Griffin, too, played for the Vikings last year. He’s only played a handful of snaps for the 2025 Seahawks, but in Minnesota one year ago, Griffin was pretty damn dependable, logging a 63.7 grade from Pro Football Focus.
Seattle activated Griffin this week from its practice squad, so, just like Akers, Griffin has a shot to put a thumbprint on Week 13 against the team that didn’t re-sign him during the offseason.
Bonus: Myles Gaskin | RB, Practice Squad
The Vikings’ favorite hopscotch roster commodity over the last few seasons also plays for the Seahawks, though he’s on the practice squad.
Gaskin spent the preseason in Jacksonville, but didn’t make the Jaguars’ active roster. Seattle signed him on October 1st, and he’s on the practice squad, not expected to see the field against Minnesota.
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