Aug 14, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond (11) carries the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
The Vikings waived Mond to get down to 53 players on the roster on Tuesday. He’ll head to Cleveland and join former Vikings offensive coordinator and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Since he was claimed, he’ll continue to play on his four-year rookie contract worth just over $5 million.
Former GM Rick Spielman selected Mond in the third round of the 2021 draft but only survived 16 months on the Vikings roster. He had a bad start to his professional football career when he caught COVID-19 and missed time in training camp and the preseason. Later in the year, Zimmer made some negative, some would call them disrespectful, comments about the young passer.
Mond had every chance to win the Vikings backup QB job after the hiring of new head coach Kevin O’Connell. O’Connell is a former NFL head coach as well. He was, just like Mond, a backup and knows how it feels on the roster bubble.
Mond didn’t win the backup job. After struggles in training camp and the preseason, the Vikings traded a 2024 conditional 7th rounder for Nick Mullens. The former Raider started 17 games in his career, 16 for the 49ers and one for the Browns, where Mond is heading now.
The Browns had a tumultuous offseason, as they traded for Deshaun Watson and all of his legal troubles, including the suspension. They also traded away Baker Mayfield. He’ll miss the first 11 games of the Browns season due to a suspension. Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs are on the roster. Brissett will be the starter going into the season and is trying to keep the season alive until Watson takes over.
Mond will be a developmental quarterback on the Browns roster. If Stefanski can unlock some things, he might be able to develop into a solid backup quarterback. At this moment, however, Mond is not that. He hasn’t come a long way on his developmental journey, as he has proven in the preseason.
The Vikings, meanwhile, could also be in the market for a developmental quarterback. They could put a veteran like Sean Mannion on the practice squad or a young passer with potential like Kellen Mond. Expect another tumultuous day in the NFL world.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt