Since 2000, there has been a former Purdue Boilermaker on the roster (active, injured reserve or practice squad) of a team playing in the Super Bowl in all but one season.
A streak of 21 straight Super Bowl with a Purdue representative was snapped in 2021 after no former Boilermaker was on the roster of the Chiefs or Buccaneers.
Markus Bailey and Brycen Hopkins started a new streak last year with the Bengals and Rams respectively. Purdue has a number of players in the NFL that will look to continue that trend in 2023.
Half of the teams in this year's NFL playoffs have a former Purdue standout on their squad as Wild Card Weekend approaches.
George Karlaftis: Kansas City Chiefs
Den of Defensive Ends member and former Purdue All-American George Karlaftis appears to be the most likely candidate to reach the Super Bowl this season with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win over the Raiders this weekend.
The Chiefs await the Jaguars vs. Chargers outcome to see who they will play in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Karlaftis has been a big part of Kansas City's success down the stretch. He registered a sack in six of the last seven games of his rookie season. The West Lafayette native finished the regular season third in sacks and second in pressures among rookies.
Anthony Brown & Tyler Coyle: Dallas Cowboys
A pair of former Purdue defensive backs are on the roster for "America's Team" as Anthony Brown and Tyler Coyle have both seen action this season for the Cowboys.
Dallas will travel to Tampa Bay to face off against the Buccaneers in the wild card round this weekend. The Cowboys just missed out on the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but are viewed as one of the top teams to contend for a Super Bowl appearance this postseason.
Anthony Brown is on the team, but will not suit up for the rest of the season. He has been a solid contributor in the NFL, but ruptured his Achilles in December and remains on injured reserve.
Former Purdue safety Tyler Coyle played only three games for the Boilermakers after transferring from UConn. Coyle just made his NFL debut against the Commanders yesterday and tallied 6 combined tackles in the loss.
Markus Bailey: Cincinnati Bengals
Former Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey will look to make back-to-back appearances in the Super Bowl with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals fell in the big game last season against the Los Angeles Rams, but are contenders in the AFC once again.
The Bengals will host their division rival Baltimore Ravens during the wild card round of the NFL playoffs. Cincinnati split the season series with the Ravens, but have won 8 games in a row heading into the postseason.
Bailey is a key contributor on special teams and sees snaps in a reserve role on the Bengals defense, which is guided by former Purdue assistant coach Lou Anarumo.
Raheem Mostert: Miami Dolphins
Miami snuck into the playoffs with a week 18 win over the New York Jets and a loss by the Patriots to clinch the seventh and final spot in the AFC playoff field.
The Dolphins are set to travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in what will be a tough matchup. The team lost five of its last six games down the stretch and injury troubles at the quarterback position make an upset look unlikely.
It was a career year for the former Purdue kick returner, running back and wide receiver. Mostert finished the season with a career-high 891 yards for the Dolphins this year and was the team's leading rusher under head coach Mike McDaniel.
Zander Horvath: Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers secured a spot in the postseason for the first time since Philip Rivers led the then San Diego franchise to the playoffs.
Holding the top wild card spot, Los Angeles will play the AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars in Florida on Saturday, January 14th. With Justin Hebert leading the offense, the Chargers are a dangerous team and are looked at as a dark-horse in the AFC.
Zander Horvath moved to fullback after being a running back at Purdue. The Chargers use him in a blocking role for the majority of his snaps, but the former college walk-on did catch two touchdown passes early in the season.
Grant Hermanns: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Grant Hermanns was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad late in the season after their offensive line was decimated by injuries.
The Buccaneers play host to the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round of the playoffs after winning the NFL-worst NFC South. Tampa Bay is the only team in this year's NFL playoff field with a losing record, but you cannot bet against Tom Brady.
Hermanns previously saw action with the New York Jets this seasons, making his NFL debut in week two and then played again two weeks later.
