Former Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner faced a tough decision over the weekend.
The Lakeville native had two options: continue as a delivery driver for Bite Squad or try one more time to be a quarterback in the NFL. Leidner chose the latter, as he signed with the Vikings.
“I hate to let those guys down,” said Leidner to a gaggle of reporters at Winter Park on Sunday. “But it’s good to have an opportunity with the Vikings.’’
After being cut by the Ravens in minicamp, Leidner had been driving around and delivering meals to hungry patrons.
Enter Kurt Warner, who has absolutely nothing to do with Leidner. But he was bagging groceries after being cut by the Green Bay Packers in 1994 before eventually leading the St. Louis Rams and the Greatest Show on Turf to a Super Bowl title in 1999 season.
Based on our research of one player (Warner), there’s a 100 percent chance Leidner wins a Super Bowl simply because he worked in customer service before getting signed.
And no, we refuse to find out if any other Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks ever worked in a grocery store.
According to Indeed.com, Bite Squad delivery drivers make an average of $14.49 an hour, which is just a tad less than the $102,000 minimum salary of an NFL practice squad player.
Based on those numbers, it would take Leidner about 7,039 hours at Bite Squad to earn the equivalent of an NFL practice squad salary.
Minnesota decided to take a chance on the former Gopher after third-string quarterback Taylor Heinicke was injured in the Vikings’ preseason loss to the Seahawks.
Leidner threw 36 touchdowns in his college career with the Gophers.
