Gone from Vikings, Ex-QB Joins Seahawks
The saga continues.
For the past five seasons, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sean Mannion has basically played hopscotch between the purple team’s roster and the Seattle Seahawks.
Gone from Vikings, Ex-QB Joins Seahawks
And it’s happened again.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Friday, “The Seahawks have signed QB Sean Mannion to their practice squad.”
The Vikings said sayonara to Mannion a week and a half ago, releasing him from the practice squad after adding the veteran on October 11th. When the original QB2, Nick Mullens, hit injured reserve, Minnesota evidently needed a depth quarterback, and Mannion was the guy.
Mannion joined the NFL in 2015, a 3rd-Round pick by the St. Louis Rams. He stayed attached to the Rams for four seasons, the duration of his rookie contract, and then began the Minnesota-Seattle boomerang. Here’s his career resume to date:
- St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams (2015–2018)
- Minnesota Vikings (2019–2020)
- Seattle Seahawks (2021)
- Minnesota Vikings (2021)
- Seattle Seahawks (2022)
- Minnesota Vikings (2023)
- Seattle Seahawks (2023)
Seahawks QB1 Geno Smith is battling a groin injury, so like the Vikings in October, Mannion is the go-to for depth. Drew Lock is Smith’s backup, and it is unlikely that Mannion would see regular-season action.
All told, the Vikings have signed Mannion five separate times, a now-journeyman passer who’ll make it three signings with the Seahawks. Back and forth.
In the summer of 2022, amid roster cutdowns, the Vikings appeared to cut ties with Mannion for good after a poor preseason performance, but that declaration was apparently premature. Many believed Mannion was a Mike Zimmer-laden fascination — until Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings re-signed him in 2023.
Mannion is a behemoth human, standing 6’6″ and weighing 230 pounds. Kirk Cousins infamously contracted the coronavirus in 2021, and Mannion saw regular-season duty for the Vikings at Green Bay — of all places — in Week 17. He tossed his first career touchdown on that frigid evening.
On the whole versus the Packers that night, Mannion underwhelmed, lacking mobility and the gumption to circumvent a habitually leaky Vikings pass-protecting offensive line. When Mannion tried to scramble, it looked way too laborious for a modern NFL passer.
Mannion immediately becomes Seattle’s QB3; there are no other options on the roster after Smith and Lock.
Seattle travels to San Francisco this weekend for a date with the 49ers. Pete Carroll’s team has a 23% probability after 13 weeks of reaching the playoffs, according to the New York Times playoff simulator. Winning at San Francisco would whisk the odds to 51%. A loss would slap Seattle’s math down to 19%
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,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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