Vikings Host Veteran Passer for Tryout

Vikings Host Veteran Passer for Tryout
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He isn’t quite Hollywood, but the Minnesota Vikings hosted veteran quarterback Kevin Hogan and five others for a tryout this week.

Hogan, 29, was the QB3 for the Tennesse Titans in most of the 2021 season. When the Titans selected Malik Willis in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hogan was evidently not needed.

Nicked The Gunslinger, Hogan played collegiately at Stanford and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 5th Round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Kansas City cut Hogan four months after drafting him, and he wound up with the Cleveland Browns in 2016.

He’s appeared in nine career NFL games while starting one time — his team lost — and accounting for four passing touchdowns with seven interceptions. His career resume is quite robust, at least from a transaction level. The man bounces around frequently.

Image Courtesy of Stathead

The broader news of Hogan’s tryout could imply the Vikings aren’t sold on their current two backup quarterbacks, Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion. While it’s not unusual for a team to sign a veteran quarterback for the remainder of training camp, Minnesota released quarterback Nate Stanley in July. So, the question becomes — why release Stanley just to sign Hogan 2.5 weeks later? Perhaps Stanley isn’t quite as efficient as Hogan.

Moreover, second-year passer Kellen Mond hasn’t performed wonderfully at training camp. The Texas A&M has a golden opportunity to win the QB2 job behind Kirk Cousins, as Sean Mannion has proved twice in Vikings regular season games that his skillset is limited. In that vein, it should be “easy” to win the QB2 job, especially behind a quarterback in Cousins who never falls victim to injury. Cousins has missed one career game, and that was due to the coronavirus in January.

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Hogan did, though, have a commendable college career at Stanford. During his senior season, he produced a 27-TD to 8-INT split. He was named Second-Team All-Pac-12 in 2015.

He was teammates with Zach Ertz (Cardinals), Christian McCaffrey (Panthers), and Andrus Peat (Saints) at Stanford.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

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