The NFL is made up of thousands — maybe millions — of connections. Coaches and players work together for different teams throughout their careers, not just at the pro level but in college, high school, and maybe even further back in their hometowns. So NFL games are an opportunity to catch up with old friends and reestablish friendships that may have gone dormant. New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and his counterpart, Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, enjoyed the opportunity to chat and catch up decades after time as assistants on Bill Parcells’ Dallas Cowboys staff.
In recent years, swapping game-worn jerseys has become a popular gesture. Two players who crossed enemy lines to do just that were Saints running back Latavius Murray and Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, Murray’s former understudy.
On top of that, two New Orleans natives caught up after the game. Saints guard Will Clapp and Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. (whose father played for the Saints in the 1990’s) each graduated from Brother Martin High School, and they met up for their own jersey swap after the final whistle. Clapp and Smith have spotted each other on opposing sidelines before; their college careers were spent with SEC West-rival institutions LSU and Alabama.
Other gestures were a little more personal. Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater started his NFL career with the Vikings, and he was spotted embracing some friends and former teammates after the game:
