Former Vikings Quarterback Once Again Looking for a Team
Janik Eckardt
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The Kyle Sloter era in Jacksonville is over. He played one preseason game for the organization and is back in familiar territory as a free agent, looking for another opportunity. Sloter went undrafted in the 2017 draft. He played in college for Southern Miss and Northern Colorado, at times even as a backup wide receiver, before he finally started as quarterback in his fourth and final season.
As an undrafted free agent, Sloter signed with the Denver Broncos. They were one of many NFL organizations he would be part of. So far, seven NFL teams have had him on their roster, most just for a short period. He had two stints with the Vikings. The first time from 2017 to 2019, and the second time for one week in the 2021 season, when Kirk Cousins was on the COVID list.
Between the last and the upcoming NFL season, Sloter played in the USFL for the New Orleans Breakers. He was named All-USFL. The passer racked up yards, but his biggest problem was that he also racked up interceptions. He finished the season with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Sloter had his biggest success in the preseason. He regularly outplayed second-string quarterbacks during his time with the Vikings and pulled off multiple come-from-behind victories. However, the former Vikings quarterback couldn’t beat out the veteran QBs ahead of him, even though Sean Mannion and Trevor Siemian are not particularly great QBs.
Mike Zimmer was never fond of him, and he was eventually cut and bounced around the league. Cardinals, Lions, Bears, Raiders, and now the Jaguars were his next stops. Sloter played one preseason game for the Jaguars. He had a full half to prove his worth.
Sloter played in the second half against the Raiders after Jake Luton started the game. He completed 13 of 25 passes for 127 yards and scored the only Jaguars touchdown. While the numbers look alright, Sloter missed some passes and didn’t look as sharp as in some games for the Vikings. The Raiders also dropped a couple of interceptions. His gunslinging mentality is still part of his game.
The Jaguars released him and signed fellow passer E.J. Perry instead.
Sloter was always a long shot to make the team. Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Beathard have the two top spots locked up. Even Jake Luton was ahead of him on the depth chart.
The Vikings struggle with their backup QBs. Mannion is a known commodity. He doesn’t turn heads with his play and lacks the physical abilities to do anything special. He’s just a smart quarterback who’s more coach than player. If he gets on the field, the Vikings have a big problem.
However, his competitor Kellen Mond isn’t playing at a higher level. Mond was a third-round pick but struggled a lot. During his rookie campaign, he was in Zimmer’s doghouse after he lost weight with a COVID infection. He’s still struggling with consistency and with reading defenses. He has the physical abilities to have a higher upside than Mannion, but so far, it’s still a work in progress.
The Vikings could look to add another quarterback to the mix, and they know their former passer Sloter in the building. The new regime doesn’t help him, though. He has no ties with Adofo-Mensah or O’Connell, but a third stint in Minnesota shouldn’t be ruled out at the moment.
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
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