Purple Rumor Mill: Jared Allen’s QB Theory, Bo Nix, Mullens as the QB1 Frontrunner?
Dustin Baker
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VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the December 2nd edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Jared Allen’s QB Theory, Bo Nix, Mullens as the QB1 Frontrunner?
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week.
Rumor: Vikings legend Jared Allen thinks Kirk Cousins is done in purple.
Allen told Kay Adams this week that Kirk Cousins isn’t the team’s future at quarterback.
“I mean, you blew your Achilles out at this point in your career. It’s a young man’s game. It’s going that way. I don’t know if you can invest that much more money it would take to keep him. I don’t think it has any bearing on his ability, but you’re gonna come off an injury,” Allen told The Up & Adams Show.
Cousins was lost for the season one month ago and won’t return in 2023. Then, in a few short months, Cousins is scheduled to hit free agency, although the Vikings’ brass has indicated for months that they would like him to return in 2024 and beyond.
Adams clarified that Cousins is in the final year of his contract, and Allen continued, “Oh, you can’t pay him. It’s a no-brainer. You can’t pay him. Sorry Kirk, nothing personal, but I mean, as a fan, if I’m the GM, what are you gonna have to pay him? 25, 30 million a year? Sorry, the ride’s done.”
So, Mr. Allen is very clearly done with Cousins, at least in Minnesota.
Rumor: Bo Nix is the mock draft darling for the Vikings through early December.
Hype and speculation will change drastically in the next five months, but for now, the draft community suggests Nix is the best fit for Minnesota. According to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, the Oregon passer is the most frequently selected player associated with the Vikings’ 1st-Round pick as of December 1st.
Why do the Vikings need a quarterback? Simple — the current QB1 Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in October and is a free agent in March. Cousins could return to the Vikings or sign elsewhere. The outcome of his free agency is a total coinflip at the moment.
Whether Cousins returns for Year No. 7 in purple might be moot for Minnesota’s draft purposes. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell took over the club about two years ago, and sooner or later, the pair will probably want a young signal-caller to groom and pay on the cheap for 4-5 years.
The 33rd Team’s Connor Livesay mock-drafted Nix to Minnesota this week and explained, “Oregon QB Bo Nix won’t be for everyone, but he is a nice fit for the Minnesota Vikings and coach Kevin O’Connell. Nix has made drastic improvements in 2023 at Oregon, but he will likely need to be drafted in the right system with the right coordinator to carry over his success to the NFL. Nix won’t be a guy who should be expected to step in and win right away, but he can find some success in O’Connell’s offense.”
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso did the same and succinctly wrote, “Nix’s athleticism would be accentuated by Kevin O’Connell’s boot-action system.”
It’s early, but Nix is the frontrunner for the Vikings.
Rumor: Nick Mullens will start for Minnesota after the bye.
Minnesota has three options at QB1 after the team’s bye week, deciding between Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and rookie Jaren Hall. Dobbs was the starter the last few weeks but was beset by a macabre performance on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, creating four interceptions and causing the Vikings to lose 12-10.
And per ex-NFL quarterback and current NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms, Minnesota will likely roll with Nick Mullens. He said this week, “The way Kevin O’Connell is saying that, to me, totally points to Nick Mullens is going to be the starting quarterback if he’s totally healthy and ready to go here after the bye week. What he’s trying to say is, ‘Nick Mullens knows the offense.'”
Mullens last started a game in 2021 as a member of the Cleveland Browns, and teams led by him are 5-12 (.294) since the start of 2018.
“It’s like having a lesser Kirk Cousins out there. I feel like that’s what people think of Nick Mullens when you hear him described. He’s going to know all the checks. He can handle all the offense. He’s a solid thrower of the football. There’s no wow arm, but he controls it well. And all those signs point to: let’s put him in with Justin Jefferson because we know he can dish and deliver the ball better than Josh Dobbs,” Simms added.
QB2 was Mullens’ gig about two months ago, so it wouldn’t be weird at all to regain his job in Week 14 and beyond.
End the Jordan Addison Drought
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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