Much of the attention in Super Bowl 60 will focus on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. And it should be — the quarterback is the most important position in football. But when a quarterback drops back to pass, it’s expected; some of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history have come when a non-quarterback attempts a pass. Perhaps the most notable pass not made by a starting quarterback in recent memory came in 2018, when Nick Foles caught a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton.
In honor of plays like Foles’ — as well as Cooper Kupp’s incomplete pass in the 2022 Super Bowl that his Los Angeles Rams ultimately won, in which he became Super Bowl MVP — one of the novelty prop bets that DraftKings Sportsbook is offering pertains to how many quarterbacks will throw a pass on Sunday night. There are +160 odds that at least three players will attempt a pass and -205 odds that only two — Darnold and Maye — will.
Given recent history and the creativity that both Mike Macdonald and Mike Vrabel have demonstrated, betting on the over at +160 might be worth it.
Three or more players have attempted passes in five of the last nine Super Bowls. Last season, the bet cashed late in the fourth quarter, when Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett attempted a pass in the fourth quarter with his team staked to a massive lead. The bet could cash on a blowout again; the Seahawks’ Divisional Round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers saw three quarterbacks attempt a pass, with 49ers backup Mac Jones going two-for-four after Brock Purdy was pulled.
The bet is far more likely to cash on a trick play, though. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey in Super Bowl LVIII. Two years before that, the Rams and Cincinnati Bengals each attempted a non-quarterback pass in Super Bowl LVI, with Kupp’s pass falling incomplete and Joe Mixon’s pass finding Tee Higgins for a touchdown. Of course, in 2018, there was both the Philly Special and Danny Amendola’s pass that was dropped by Tom Brady. It was the second consecutive season in which the Patriots attempted a trick play: during their historic 28-3 comeback in Super Bowl LI, former collegiate quarterback Julian Edelman attempted a deep pass to Dion Lewis that narrowly bounced off of Lewis’ hands.
Neither of these rosters has a non-starting QB quite as known for his arm as Edelman, who completed seven of his eight career passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns in his career between the regular season and the playoffs, but it wouldn’t be entirely unprecedented for a player on either team to attempt a pass. Kupp has attempted six passes between the regular season and the playoffs, and three players — Darnold, Kupp, and backup quarterback Drew Lock — attempted a pass for Seattle this season. While only two New England players attempted a pass this season (Maye and backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs), linebacker Marte Mapu did get sacked. Diggs also completed a pass last season with the Houston Texans, and Vrabel called nine passes for Derrick Henry throughout his tenure with the Tennessee Titans.
A trick play is never expected, but at the Super Bowl, it has been commonplace enough that timing, not actualization, is the bigger shock. All season long, teams hide certain plays that they might debut in the Super Bowl, and both Vrabel and Macdonald surely have cards that they’ve avoided showing off all season. If recent history is any indication, one of those cards could be someone besides Darnold or Maye throwing a pass.
