Unlikely hero, Darian Kinnard, makes history on Super Bowl Sunday

Editor’s Note: It actually happened. The Kansas City Chiefs did not 3-peat. The Philadelphia Eagles won 40-22 to give Darian Kinnard his third-straight Super Bowl victory.

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All eyes are on Patrick Mahomes. Will he become the first quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl 3-peat? What about Travis Kelce? He, too, would become back-to-back-to-back NFL champ. How would he and his girlfriend celebrate that legacy-defining (possible) conclusion to his career? Mahomes, Kelce, and Taylor Swift might steal the spotlight, but the improbable potential hero on Super Bowl Sunday could be former Kentucky lineman, Darian Kinnard.

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Kinnard in the 5th round of the 2022 NFL Draft and he couldn’t have fallen into a more fortuitous spot. He may not have seen much playing time in his first two season with the Chiefs, spending most of this time on the practice squad, but Kinnard has two Super Bowl rings in his only two season in the NFL as a consolation prize.

If that wasn’t the quintessential right-spot-right-time scenario, he signed with the Eagles in the offseason and now finds himself in line for a third consecutive Super Bowl win, against his former team, no less.

If Philadelphia were to win, not only would he thwart Mahomes, Kelce, and Swift from the joy of a 3-peat, he would be become only the second player in NFL history to win the Super Bowl three straight seasons. The only other person to do it was current Washington Commanders Linebackers coach, Ken Norton Jr., who won titles with the Cowboys in 1992 and 1993, and then the 49ers in 1994.

Kinnard would make Kentucky history too

On top of making NFL history, Kinnard would surpass Mike Edwards and Larry Seiple for the most total Super Bowl wins among former Kentucky players, each of whom have two. Edwards won with the Buccaneers in in 2021 and the Chiefs in 2024 while Seiple won with the Dolphins in 1973 and ’74.

Will Kinnard actually play in the Super Bowl? Most likely not, but in a way, that makes it even more awesome. He didn’t play in the first two Super Bowls he won either, but that doesn’t mean he missed out on the most coveted piece of finger hardware in football.

Kinnard made the Eagles’ 53-man roster, but the team kept him inactive for all but three games. He played every snap in Week 18 when most of the starters rested, but otherwise, he’s stayed fresh.

If you need a reason to root for a team in the Super Bowl, make sure it’s for the former Wildcat to etch his name into the NFL record books.