The Minnesota Vikings are a quarterback heavy after a busy offseason, which could equal a recipe for a late-summer trade.
Sam Darnold was signed by Minnesota to a one-year deal, most likely to serve as a stopgap for J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall choice in the NFL Draft and ultimate long-term starter. In 2023, the Vikings also used a fifth-round selection on Jaren Hall, who made two starts for the team in a turbulent season at the position the previous year.
The situation in Minnesota makes backup Nick Mullens a potentially valuable trade commodity for the team as the regular season draws closer, unless the Vikings are prepared to abandon Hall as a developing prospect or put him on the practice squad.
“It’s not too difficult to imagine the Vikings dealing Mullens to a team in need of a bet
ter backup option, regaining a late-round selection, and starting the season with Darnold, McCarthy, and Hall at quarterback,”On Friday, May 3, Will Ragatz from Sports Illustrated Fan Nation wrote.
Every winter, clubs make similar adjustments as they reassess their depth charts in light of training camp and injury worries.
For example, last summer, the Arizona Cardinals traded Josh Dobbs to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a seventh-round pick and a fifth-round pick. when starting eight games in the desert, Dobbs was sent by the Cards to Minnesota, where he replaced Hall when the latter suffered a concussion in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Ironically, Dobbs is currently with the San Francisco 49ers backing up Brock Purdy, a role most lately occupied by Darnold, for whom the Vikings will pay $10 million in 2024 to serve as the McCarthy replacement they feel Dobbs is incapable of being.
Mullens, who is entering the last year of his $4 million contract, was purchased by Minnesota from the Los Vegas Raiders in the summer of 2022 for a conditional seventh-round selection. As a result, the team may be able to recoup some draft money for the gunslinger two years later.
In the previous season, Mullens’ back issue kept him out of action. However, Mullens filled in and wound up with three starts after Kirk Cousins was injured and Dobbs’ unlikely run faded. Despite finishing the season as the starter with a record of 0–3, he completed over 1,100 passing yards and six touchdown passes.
Untimely turnovers and narrow losses defined Mullens’ stretch as the Vikings’ top guy late last season, but If Minnesota determines that marketing him is the best course of action, statistics should make him a valuable commodity. Over his six-year NFL career, Mullens has completed 65.8% of his passes for 6,391 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions. Having participated in 29 games, he has made 20 starts and finished with a 5–15 record.
The reasoning for Mullens’ trade is that, under the right circumstances, the Vikings could likely obtain a valuable Day 3 pick in exchange. The McCarthy development plan of the team contains the evidence against it.
McCarthy will not be thrust into a starting position, according to Minnesota, which plans to keep him out of the lineup until he meets specific goals set by head coach Kevin O’Connell. That’s why Darnold is on the roster.
However, should the team sell Mullens, Minnesota would have to turn to Hall as the starter if Darnold is hurt and/or benched before the Vikings feel McCarthy is ready to start. As a rookie, Hall was 1-1 in his first two starts despite his statistically lackluster performance, completing 13 of 20 passes for 168 yards and one interception.
In Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, Hall filled in for Cousins for a few snaps after the latter sustained an Achilles injury that ended his season. He arrived in Atlanta to begin the following week, but late in the first quarter, he suffered a concussion.
In the crucial Week 17 matchup over Green Bay, O’Connell returned to Hall, replacing Mullens. But after just ten throw attempts, the head coach benched the youngster and went back to Mullens in what turned out to be a landslide defeat.
In a Vikings season that, like last year, can best be defined as a competitive rebuild, Mullens is a safer pick in 2024. Because of this, Minnesota might want to hang onto Mullens until McCarthy has shown that he is ready by team standards. At that point, Mullens’ services might not be necessary if Darnold stays healthy and Hall is still a strong third option.
