Nov 6, 2021; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall (3) reacts after a first quarter interception against the Idaho State Bengals at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings were projected to select some type of quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft to prepare for life after Kirk Cousins, theorized all over the place as Round-1 contenders or mid-round heroes.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah chose the latter, opting not to surrender a meaty batch of future draft capital for trades involving Anthony Richardson or C.J. Stroud. In return, Minnesota landed 25-year-old developmental passer Jaren Hall from BYU, and for now, he’s “the best we got” for glimmers of hope beyond the Cousins era.
And while Hall may never emerge as a QB1 anywhere — most 5th-Round quarterbacks do not — Vikings fans will hold out anti-Kellen-Mond longing that the Cougar is the exception to the rule because that’s what hope does.
From a neutral viewpoint, however, Bleacher Report believes Hall will indeed get a crack at an NFL offense — as a Vikings QB1 in 2025. Week 8, to be exact.
In an article titled Predicting Every 2023 Drafted Rookie QB’s First NFL Start, BR’s Gary Davenport opined about the rookie after predicting Week 8 in 2025 as his starting debut, “Hall has the ability to eventually become a decent backup, but that’s about it. As much as some Vikings fans would like to think of a future without Kirk Cousins, it’s not happening anytime soon. Were Cousins to suffer an injury this year, it would all but certainly be journeyman backup Nick Mullens who draws the start.”
This would seem to hint at Cousins as the QB1 in 2023 and 2024, his age-35 and age-36 seasons. The Vikings aren’t contractually committed to Cousins beyond 2023, but he could still be extended at any minute.
Adofo-Mensah said about Cousins-related contract extension talks following the draft, “Sometimes you come to a place [in contract talks] where you decide, ‘Hey, let’s talk later. This is a solution for now.’ That’s all that’s happened. We like where we are at the quarterback position, but every option is open to us going forward. We’re just really excited about Kirk this year. The weapons we’ve added in free agency, the weapons we added in the draft, and we’ll see what happens after that.”
If you’re new to the Hall sweepstakes — you should be; he’s been on the team for three days — the youngster offers a Kyler Murryian pizazz on the field sans the electrifying speed and bazooka arm strength. He’s fast and possesses good arm strength, but the difference between Murray and Hall is exactly the variance between the speed and arm-strength levels.
Moreover, Hall is already elderly by rookie standards at 25 and won’t be the Vikings starter until age 27 — teetering on 28 — according to the Bleacher Report suggestion.
Hall also battled concussions in college and a hip injury in 2020.
But the on-the-field talent is undeniable. He exudes the “modern-day quarterback” persona via performance (at least stylistically) and incredible maturity. Fans can hang hats on those traits for now.
And if Davenport is correct, Vikings faithful will see the complete Hall toolkit in 2.5 years.
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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.