Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson wonders what might have been for his team this season if it had kept quarterback Sam Darnold around.
Asked in an interview with USA Today if he has thought about whether it could be the Vikings in the Super Bowl instead of the Seahawks if Darnold were in Minnesota instead of Seattle, Jefferson answered, “Yeah, for sure, definitely.”
Jefferson added that it was a tough year for the Vikings with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer at quarterback, and it could have been different with Darnold, who led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024 but left for Seattle in 2025.
“Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it,” Jefferson said. “But having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better. But it is what it is, it’s on to newer and better things. But I’m definitely happy and proud of him that he is able to reach it this year.”
Jefferson said he has mixed emotions seeing Darnold’s success.
“It’s definitely tough. It’s tough to watch,” Jefferson said. “I love that he’s in the Super Bowl. I’m happy for him, I want nothing but the best for him, especially the way his journey was at first, people doubting him and people not giving him the respect. Now they’re giving him the respect. Now they’re seeing that he’s a top-tier quarterback in this league. Of course, selfishly I wish he had done that for us last year, but to see him blossom and bounce back right after last year and make it this year, I’m happy for him and I hope he wins. I’m rooting for Seattle and I think Seattle’s gonna win. I’ll be rooting for him.”
Seahawks Clips
The old saying that defense wins championships has not been reflected by the head coaches who have led their teams to the Super Bowl in recent years. But Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel are changing that.
Macdonald and Vrabel both coached defenses before they became head coaches, making them the first defensive-oriented head coaches to lead a team to the Super Bowl since Bill Belichick’s final Super Bowl with the Patriots, seven years ago.
The last six Super Bowls have featured Andy Reid five times, Kyle Shanahan twice, Nick Sirianni twice, Bruce Arians once, Sean McVay once and Zac Taylor once. All are offensive-oriented coaches.
The last time both Super Bowl head coaches came from a defensive background was in 2017, when Belichick and the Patriots came back from a 28-3 deficit to beat Dan Quinn’s Falcons in overtime.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye missed practice on Friday with an illness and a right shoulder injury. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald does not think that will have any impact on Super Bowl LX.
Macdonald was asked Friday how much he takes Maye’s health into account in preparing for the Super Bowl.
“None,” was Macdonald’s one-word answer.
Macdonald is expecting to see Maye play at the MVP level that he played at during the regular season.
“He is a tremendous player. He really is. He’s strong, he’s fast, great arm talent, great decision making. We’ve got to be on our stuff,” Macdonald said.
During the two-week run-up to the Super Bowl, every issue that could potentially affect the game draws heightened scrutiny, and Maye’s health will be no different. But there’s no reason to believe Maye won’t be good to go on Super Bowl Sunday.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had another limited practice on Friday.
He has not had a full practice since injuring his left oblique on Jan. 15.
Darnold, though, does not have an injury designation.
The Super Bowl teams are required to do injury reports on the off week between the championship games and the Super Bowl, and players are given designations based on the game being played Sunday instead of Feb. 8.
The Seahawks list backup offensive tackle Amari Kight (knee) as doubtful after he didn’t practice all week. He missed the NFC Championship Game with his injury.
Fullback Robbie Ouzts (neck), fullback Brady Russell (hand) and linebacker Chazz Surratt (ankle) received questionable designations. Ouzts and Russell were listed as limited all week. Surratt, who is in his 21-day return-to-practice window, was estimated as a full participant in all three practices.
The Seahawks added cornerback Josh Jobe (foot) to the injury report Friday as a limited participant.
Left tackle Charles Cross (foot) and tight end Eric Saubert (hamstring) did not practice all week, but did not receive a game status.
Super Bowl LX won’t be played until Feb. 8. The Seahawks and Patriots, though, are required to release an estimated injury report with designations for this week, as if the game was played Sunday.
So, the fact that quarterback Drake Maye is listed as questionable with a right shoulder injury and an illness is not a big deal. It is next Friday’s injury report that will reveal more about his status.
The Patriots listed eight other players as questionable.
Running back Terrell Jennings (hamstring/cleared concussion protocol), linebacker Harold Landry (knee), offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr. (knee/illness) did not practice Friday. Landry, Munford and Spillane did not practice all week.
The other four players who are questionable are defensive lineman Joshua Farmer (hamstring), tight end Hunter Henry (rest), wide receiver Mack Hollins (abdomen) and offensive tackle Morgan Moses (rest).
The fact that Henry and Moses are questionable tells you how seriously the Patriots took the report.
In response to the report that the Seahawks will go up for sale after Super Bowl LX, ownership has released a statement that doesn’t say much.
A statement attributed to a spokesman for the Paul G Allen Estate was released, noting that the plan has always been for the team to be sold but providing no clarity about when that will happen.
“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale,” the statement said. “We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”
That statement may look like a denial of the report, but it isn’t. The report doesn’t say the team “is” for sale, the report says the team “will be” for sale after the Super Bowl.
When Allen died, he left the team under the control of his sister, Jody Allen, with instructions that she was eventually to sell the team and donate the proceeds to charity. It remains unclear when that will happen, but nothing in the statement suggests that it won’t happen this year.
Super Bowl LX may be the Seahawks’ last game under the ownership of the Allen family.
Jody Allen, who has controlled the team since the 2018 death of her brother, Paul Allen, plans to put the team up for sale, according to ESPN.
Paul Allen bought the team in 1997, and his will said his sister was to take control of the franchise and eventually sell it and donate the proceeds to charity.
Those proceeds will be several billion dollars. The last NFL team to sell was the Washington Commanders, who went for $6.05 billion in 2023, and as sports franchise values continue to rise, there’s no reason the Seahawks shouldn’t fetch even more.
Allen is also in the process of selling the Portland Trail Blazers for $4.25 billion.
Patriots rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell has faced plenty of criticism for his play, but head coach Mike Vrabel thinks the AFC Championship Game was a good sign of Campbell’s growth.
Vrabel said Campbell had a better game against a tough opponent in Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto, and he hopes to see more improvement against the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
“I thought he played better against a really good rusher. We’ll need to keep improving, and we’re excited he has another week to do it,” Vrabel said.
The Patriots took Campbell with the fourth overall pick in the draft and immediately made him their starter at left tackle, protecting Drake Maye’s blind side. He’ll be one of the most important players on the field in the Super Bowl, and his ability to keep Maye upright will go a long way toward determining whether the Patriots can beat the Seahawks.
The Vikings fired General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday and owner Mark Wilf held a press conference to discuss the move later in the day.
Wilf’s opening statement echoed the team’s statement saying that the decision was made after a lengthy organizational review found that it was in the best interests of the team to move in a different direction. Wilf said that the “totality” of Adofo-Mensah’s four seasons with the team led to the call ahead of what he called a “critical offseason.”
Wilf returned to the big picture when he was asked about the role the team’s 2025 quarterback moves played in the dismissal. The Vikings did not re-sign Sam Darnold, who will start in the Super Bowl for Seattle, or Daniel Jones, who had the Colts in first place before tearing his Achilles, in order to go with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy struggled on the field and with injuries, which led to Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer making starts during a 9-8 season.
“It’s not necessarily a fair thing to talk about any one decision and that’s the way we approach it,” Wilf said. “It’s a body of work. It’s a cumulative set of decisions. It’s four years of where we’ve been and we as ownership — and I know our fans feel it and our entire organization — feels we need to get to a better place.”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell talked about bringing in competition for McCarthy at his end of season press conference. Executive V.P. of football operations Rob Brzezinski will be leading the personnel department through free agency and the draft, so it will now fall on his shoulders to navigate bringing in that competition and addressing other needs on the roster for 2026.
The Patriots closed out the practice week without quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye was limited with a right shoulder injury on Wednesday and Thursday, but was off the field entirely on Friday. Head coach Mike Vrabel said at a press conference that an illness joined the shoulder as the reason why Maye did not participate.
Vrabel said that Maye’s shoulder has responded “favorably” to the practice work that he’s done this week and that he would have participated in Friday’s session if not for the illness. Vrabel also said Maye was at the facility and taking part in meetings despite not being able to practice.
The Patriots will head to California this weekend to continue their preparations for facing the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. Maye’s health will continue to be something to watch through those sessions.
