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The Drake Maye Myth for Vikings Is Laid to Rest Again

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Drake Maye on Super Bowl Row in 2026
Feb 2, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; (New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) speaks to the media during Opening Night for Super Bowl LX at San Jose Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If you think the Minnesota Vikings bungled a chance to obtain Drake Maye via trade in 2024, you’ve been fed false information. Former Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had a deal in place for Maye, but New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft backed out at the last second. And with the Super Bowl a few days away, and Maye front and center, SI.com‘s Albert Breer reconfirmed the situation this week.

Some folks’ revisionist timeline keeps resurfacing, but the Vikings’ 2024 draft position and New England’s leverage made Maye a nonstarter.

Vikings fans will continue to think “What could have been?” on Maye, but he just wasn’t for sale.

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The Maye Narrative Keeps Getting Rewritten

The end-all of the Maye-to-Minnesota fodder.

Drake Maye holding the AFC Championship trophy. Drake Maye Vikings myth.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye addresses reporters while holding the AFC Championship trophy at Empower Field, reflecting on a milestone win on Jan 25, 2026, after New England defeated Denver. The moment captures Maye’s poise under pressure as the Patriots celebrated a road victory and secured a Super Bowl berth in front of national media. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Breer on Maye to MIN

Breer published an article this week about Sam Darnold’s rise to power in Seattle, outlining the takeaways from that voyage.

Tucked in the article, he scribed this tidbit, “There’s the one caveat to all of this, which is that the Vikings tried with all their might to trade up for Drake Maye in 2024. O’Connell loved him. Maye was coached in high school by Vikings assistant Josh McCown and was a teammate of McCown’s son.”

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“Minnesota offered both of its first-round picks in 2024 (Nos. 11 and 23) and its 2025 first-rounder to the Patriots, with later-round pick swaps favoring Minnesota to move up to the third pick.”

Since the 2024 NFL Draft, some Vikings fans have lived in fantasyland, believing Minnesota simply backed out of the Maye trade — a false assertion.

Breer added, “O’Connell pushed them to go further. It wouldn’t matter, because the Patriots weren’t moving, sitting there as convicted in Maye as Minnesota was in the former North Carolina quarterback.”

“But if the Vikings had somehow gotten the Patriots off their spot with Maye, all of this might look different, and the aforementioned rumblings probably would have stopped.”

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Of course, there is a seismic difference between “the Vikings got cold feet when trading for Maye” and “the Patriots declined to trade the pick.” For some reason, many prefer the revisionist history of the former, which makes the Vikings’ front office look wickedly dumb.

Surprise, Surprise: The Patriots Got It Right

The Patriots have won six Super Bowls. Here’s a newsflash: that didn’t happen by accident, and it wasn’t only because the franchise showcased Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for two decades. It’s because the masterclass starts from the top, with Kraft calling the shots.

And facing a decision to trade the third overall pick — basically Maye — to Minnesota or another suitor, Kraft could’ve easily pulled the lever to receive a king’s ransom deal. He had that option; the Vikings floated it, in fact. Kraft could’ve outfitted his roster with oodles of notable draft assets.

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Yet, he recognized that Maye had the special sauce. For an organization that became mostly irrelevant after Brady left in 2020, Kraft needed a premier quarterback to end the doldrums. He stuck to his guns, declined Minnesota’s offer, and picked Maye.

He got it right not to sell; that’s what football icons do.

Maye in the Super Bowl; Vikings Pondering the 2026 QB1

Meanwhile, Maye is headed toward Super Bowl immortality — against Sam Darnold, “the other guy” the Vikings let walk. So, if you’re keeping score at home — you are — that’s two quarterbacks somewhat linked to Minnesota who will play in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.

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What do the Vikings have lined up for QB1 in 2026? Nobody knows. They could roll with J.J. McCarthy, who struggled in 2025 and has missed 70% of all games in his career. They could trade for Kyler Murray. They could sign Malik Willis from free agency. They could sign a journeyman backup like Jimmy Garoppolo and call it good. Kirk Cousins might even be available next month.

Drake Maye rushing the ball against Denver
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye breaks into open space on a designed run at Empower Field during the first half on Jan 25, 2026, as Denver defenders close in. The play highlights Maye’s athletic element, adding stress to coverage and extending drives in a high-stakes conference title game with tempo, confidence, and control. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The moral of the story? Adofo-Mensah was fired due to poor drafts and possibly a side dish of the Darnold gaffe — not because Robert Kraft declined a trade request.

Accumulating Blame on Adofo-Mensah after His Termination

Moreover, with Adofo-Mensah out of the way, there’s been a rush to assign everything bad that’s happened in the last four years to his name, with the temptation to pump O’Connell up as the maestro of the good.

That’s rather convenient and is probably unfair to Adofo-Mensah, who preached a collaborative approach with O’Connell from the day the two were announced as the new leaders in 2022.

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Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaking to the media
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks at the TCO Performance Center during a media session on Apr 2024, outlining draft priorities and roster philosophy. The appearance underscores Minnesota’s long-term focus at quarterback, cornerback, and the interior offensive line ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft as executives fielded questions from reporters on site today. Mandatory Credit: YouTube

O’Connell shares ownership of the McCarthy selection, and just because he wanted Maye — so did Adofo-Mensah — doesn’t mean that the Vikings are fools for not landing him two years ago. He wasn’t gettable. Breer’s reporting level-set history all over again.

You can’t buy something that’s not for sale.

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Sports

Rewards, how to claim, restrictions, and more

Published

4 minutes ago

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5 February 2026

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Black Ops 7 Ranked Play is finally here with the release of Season 2. This highly competitive mode follows Call of Duty League (CDL) rules, and you need to compete against players of your same skill level. By winning matches, you can climb up the ranks.

Also, there are several rewards to look forward to. You need to reach certain win milestones, kill milestones, and rank milestones to earn various rewards.

In this article, we will cover all the rewards available in Black Ops 7 Ranked Play starting with Season 2. We will also include other important information like rules and restrictions, the SR (Skill Rating) mechanism, and more.

How to unlock all the Black Ops 7 Ranked Play rewards in Season 2

There are two types of Black Ops 7 Ranked Play rewards: Seasonal Rewards and Career Rewards.

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Seasonal Rewards are different each season, and you must complete the requirements to earn them before that specific season ends.

Career Rewards are counted across all seasons of Ranked Play. These rewards won’t change with a new season; they remain available for the entirety of the mode’s existence in the game.

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Black Ops 7 Ranked Play Seasonal Rewards: Season 2

Black Ops 7 Season 2 Ranked Play rewards (Image via Activision)Black Ops 7 Season 2 Ranked Play rewards (Image via Activision)
Black Ops 7 Season 2 Ranked Play rewards (Image via Activision)

These rewards are exclusive to Season 2 and must be earned before the season concludes.

  • 10 Wins: “Pro Issue Dravec 45” SMG Blueprint (Dravec 45)
  • 100 Wins: “100 Season 2 Wins” Large Decal
  • Reach Silver Rank in Season 02: “Ranked Season 02 — Silver” Calling Card
  • Reach Gold Rank in Season 02: “Ranked Season 02 — Gold” Calling Card, and “Ranked Season 02 — Gold” Weapon Camo (Universal).
  • Reach Platinum Rank in Season 02: “Ranked Season 02 — Platinum” Calling Card, and “Ranked Season 02 — Platinum” Weapon Camo (Universal).
  • Reach Diamond Rank in Season 02: “Ranked Season 02 — Diamond” Calling Card, and “Ranked Season 02 — Diamond” Weapon Camo (Universal).
  • Reach Crimson Rank in Season 02: “Ranked Season 02 — Crimson” Calling Card, and “Ranked Season 02 — Crimson” Weapon Camo (Universal).
  • Reach Iridescent Rank in Season 02: “Ranked Season 02 — Iridescent” Animated Calling Card, and “Ranked Season 02 — Iridescent” Weapon Camo (Animated, Universal).
  • Finish Season 02 at the Top 250 Rank: “Ranked Season 02 — Top 250” Animated Calling Card, and “Ranked Season 02 — Top 250” Weapon Camo (Animated, Universal).
  • Finish Season 02 at the Top 250 Rank: #1 Overall: “Ranked Season 02 – Top 250 Champion” Animated Calling Card.

Black Ops 7 Ranked Play Career Rewards: Win Challenges

These rewards are earned by accumulating wins throughout your entire Ranked Play career.

  • 3 Wins: “2035 Competitor” Emblem
  • 10 Wins: “BO7 Ranked Competitor” Operator Skins (four separate Skins, Home Male and Female, Away Male and Female).
  • 20 Wins: “Pro Issue M15 MOD 0” Assault Rifle Blueprint
  • 30 Wins: “Win & Streak Tracker” Gun Screen
  • 40 Wins: “Main Stage” Loading Screen
  • 50 Wins: “50 Ranked Wins” Weapon Camo
  • 100 Wins: “100 Ranked Wins” Weapon Charm
  • 250 Wins: “250 Ranked Wins” Large Decal
  • 500 Wins: “500 Ranked Wins” Animated Calling Card
  • 1000 Wins: “1000 Ranked Wins” Animated Emblem and “1000 Win Knife” Knife Blueprint

Black Ops 7 Ranked Play Career Rewards: Rank Skins

These Rank Skins are acquired once you reach the specific Rank milestones below. Once reached, you unlock four different skins per rank: Home Male, Home Female, Away Male, and Away Female.

  • Reach Gold Rank: Gold Competitor (4x Skins)
  • Reach Platinum Rank: Platinum Competitor (4x Skins)
  • Reach Diamond Rank: Diamond Competitor (4x Skins)
  • Reach Crimson Rank: Crimson Competitor (4x Skins)
  • Reach Iridescent Rank: Iridescent Competitor (4x Skins)
  • Finish a Season in the Top 250 Rank: Top 250 Competitor (4x Skins)
  • Finish a Season at Top 250 #1 Overall: Top 250 Champion (4x Skins)

Black Ops 7 Ranked Play rules and restrictions

The first rule is that you need to win 50 matchmade Multiplayer matches to unlock the Black Ops 7 Ranked Play mode. After you unlock this competitive mode, you should know that there are certain rules and restrictions based on CDL rules and “Gentleman’s Agreements” (GAs).

  • Friendly Fire: Friendly fire is enabled.
  • If you are inactive, disconnect during matches, or shoot friendlies, you will face consequences like SR penalties or suspensions.
  • Weapon restrictions: Only assault rifles, SMGs, pistols, and melee weapons are allowed in matches. Although you can use snipers in Search & Destroy, they are restricted in other modes like Hardpoint and Overload.
  • Attachment restrictions: Many attachments are restricted and are not allowed to be used in Ranked matches.
  • Scorestreak restrictions: Individual Loadout and Scorestreak item types are also restricted.
  • Allowed Wildcard: Only the Perk Greed Wildcard is allowed in Ranked matches.
  • Perk restrictions: Core and Hybrid Perk Specialties are restricted and cannot be activated in Ranked matches.
  • Overclocks: Overclocks are also not available in Ranked Play.

Black Ops 7 Ranked Play Skill Rating (SR) mechanism

Skill Rating (SR) is the score that determines your skill and rank in the Ranked Play mode. You can earn SR by winning matches and eliminating opponents, and you lose SR by losing matches or being inactive or disconnected during matches. However, the SR calculation is not very straightforward and is calculated a bit differently, as explained below:

  • Winning matches grants you SR: If you win a match, you will earn SR, but the amount will differ in every match. The amount of SR you earn is directly dependent on how you perform in the match, the skill levels of your opponents, and the margin of your victory.
  • SR Calculation Mechanism: When you see a large amount of SR earned in a match, it usually means you have played against players of higher ranks, meaning the SR system determines that you are currently in a lower rank compared to your actual skill level (and is boosting you up).
  • SR Losses: When you lose a match, you will lose SR.

Furthermore, this competitive mode also features the SR Forgiveness mechanism, which works as mentioned below:

  • New Season Protection: When a new season arrives, your first three match losses won’t result in SR reduction.
  • Rank Up Protection: When you climb up a higher rank, then your first three match losses wont have SR reduction.
  • Daily Loss Protection: Each new day, you get one match loss where you don’t lose SR.
  • Matchmade Teammate quit: If you are playing with randoms, and a matchmade teammate quits during an ongoing match, then there won’t be an SR reduction.
  • Matchmade Teammate rejoined: If playing with randoms, and a Matchmade Teammate quits but later rejoins, and you lose the match, then your SR reduction is reduced, meaning you will lose less SR in that particular match.

Available maps and modes in Black Ops 7 Ranked Play Season 2

There are six maps and three modes available in Black Ops 7 Ranked Play Season 2, but not every mode is available on every map. So, check out the table below to know which maps have which modes:

Maps Available modes
Blackheart Hardpoint
Colossus Search & Destroy
Hardpoint
Den Search & Destroy
Overload
Hardpoint
Exposure Search & Destroy
Overload
Hardpoint
Raid Search & Destroy
Scar Search & Destroy
Overload
Hardpoint

Also read: Black Ops 7 Endgame Season 2: Everything we know

For the latest Call of Duty news and guides, be sure to check the links below: