The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of quarterbacks after a busy offseason, which could lead to a trade in late summer.
Minnesota signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract, likely as a temporary solution before their long-term starter, 10th overall pick NFL draft, J.J. McCarthy, is ready. The Vikings also drafted Jaren Hall in 2023, who played two games for the team last season when they had issues at quarterback.
If the Vikings are not planning to keep Hall for future potential or on the practice squad, then backup Nick Mullens could be a valuable trade piece for the team as the regular season approaches.
“It's possible that the Vikings could trade Mullens to a team that needs a better backup, get a late-round pick, and go into the season with Darnold, McCarthy, and Hall,” Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated Fan Nation wrote on Friday, May 3.
In 2023, Nick Mullens had good stats and kept the Vikings competitive in games against winning teams.
GettyQuarterback Nick Mullens plays for the Minnesota Vikings.
Teams often make similar moves in the offseason as they reassess their depth charts during training camp and with injury concerns.
For example, the Arizona Cardinals sent the and Cleveland Browns Josh Dobbs traded a fifth-round pick for and a seventh-rounder last summer. Dobbs went on to start eight games before being traded to the in Week 9.
Minnesota Vikings . Dobbs is currently with the San Francisco 49ers Brock Purdy as a backup to $10 million , a role previously held by Darnold, who the Vikings are paying
. Minnesota acquired Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 for a conditional seventh-round pick and could now get some draft picks back as he enters the final year of his $4 million deal.
Mullens was sidelined by a back injury last season but stepped in when Kirk Cousins got hurt and Dobbs couldn't continue. He had three starts and ended the year with more than 1,100 passing yards and 6 TD passes in those games, although the team lost all three. Mullens' time as the Vikings' top quarterback last season was marked by untimely turnovers and close losses, but his statistics could make him valuable if the Vikings decide to trade him. Overall, Mullens has a 65.8% completion rate, 6,391 passing yards, 34 TDs, and 31 INTs
in his six-year NFL career, playing in 29 games, starting 20, and having a 5-15 record. Trading Mullens is seen as a way for the Vikings to possibly get a meaningful Day-3 pick in return. However, it could go against their plan to develop McCarthy. Minnesota has said they won’t rush McCarthy into a starting role, but will instead keep him on the sidelines until he meets certain goals set by the head coach
Kevin O’Connell
Getty. That's why they have Darnold on the roster.
If Darnold gets injured or benched before the Vikings think McCarthy is ready to start, Minnesota would have to turn to Hall as the starter if they trade away Mullens. Hall had two starts as a rookie, going 1-1, but his stats were not very good. He completed
13-of-2o passes for 168 yards and 1 INT Hall played a few snaps instead of Cousins in Week 8 against theGreen Bay Packers
after Cousins got a season-ending Achilles injury. He started the following week in Atlanta, but got a concussion late in the first quarter. O’Connell went back to Hall against Green Bay in a must-win Week 17 game, putting him in for Mullens. However, the coach took the rookie out after just.
10 pass attempts , and went back to Mullens in a blowout loss. Mullens is a safer choice in the 2024 season for the Vikings, which, like last year, can be described as a competitive rebuild. That's why Minnesota might want to keep Mullens, at least until McCarthy has proven he's ready by team standards. At that point, Mullens might not be needed, assuming Darnold is healthy and Hall is still a good third option.
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of quarterbacks after a busy offseason, so there might be a trade in late summer. 10 pass attempts, returning to Mullens in a what eventually ended as a blowout loss.
Mullens is a safer bet in a 2024 season for the Vikings that, much like last year, can accurately be described as a competitive rebuild. For that reason, Minnesota may want to hold onto Mullens, at least until McCarthy has proven himself ready by team standards — at which point Mullens’ services may be superfluous, assuming Darnold is healthy and Hall remains a viable third option.
