Vikings Make It a Reunion at QB
In a bizarre twist of fate, he’s back.
Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sean Mannion, who can now shed the former adjective, has returned to the club after a one-year departure.
Vikings Make It a Reunion at QB
The Vikings made it official with a 29-word tweet Wednesday morning, “The Vikings have signed WR Dan Chisena, TE Troy Fumagalli and QB Sean Mannion to the practice squad. RB Kene Nwangwu has been designated for return; returned to practice.”
Mannion becomes the Vikings QB3 after QB2 Nick Mullens hit injured reserve Wednesday afternoon, presumably promoting rookie passer Jaren Hall to QB2.
This is the fifth time Minnesota has signed Mannion, a now-journeyman passer who last was a part of the Seattle Seahawks roster (2022). Last summer, amid roster cutdowns, the Vikings appeared to cut ties with Mannion for good after a poor preseason performance, but that declaration was apparently premature.
Mannion is a behemoth human, standing 6’6″ and weighing 230 pounds. Cousins infamously contracted the coronavirus in 2021, so Mannion saw regular-season duty for the Vikings at Green Bay — of all places — in Week 17. He tossed in his first career touchdown on that frigid evening.
On the whole versus the Packers, Mannion underwhelmed, lacking mobility and the gumption to circumvent a habitually seedy Vikings pass-protecting offensive line. When Mannion tried to scramble, he resembled Paul Bunyan lumbering around Lambeau Field. If one thought Cousins’ mobility was scanty, Mannion’s takes the cake.
But with the Vikings season hitting a rocky patch — the team is 1-4, Justin Jefferson is on injured reserve for four games, Mullens is too, and Minnesota plays the Bears, 49ers, and Packers in the next three weeks — Mannion is evidently the contingency plan on the practice squad.
One Vikings fan, @bhalo22, comically declared on the X app about the Mannion signing, “Trade Cousins and Danielle, start Mannion the rest of the year, and pick Caleb Williams. It’s fool proof.”
And then this:
Another, Sean Kenner, sarcastically mused, “Sean Mannion’s name should be put in the Vikings ring of honor at this point.”
Mannion is unlikely to see a regular season playing field, but theoretically, that could change if Minnesota conducted a “fire sale” before the NFL’s trade deadline. Kirk Cousins has headlined the quarterback trade rumor mill, and if Cousins were dealt to a contending team, either the aforementioned Hall or Mannion would take over at quarterback.
Mannion is 31, and teams led by him have an 0-3 record in three starts.
Vikings Have a Choice — Rally or Rebuild
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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