Beloved Former Vikings QB Out for the Season
This could be the end of the road for the 36-year-old.
Beloved Former Vikings QB Out for the Season
He’s Case Keenum, who spent last season and all of this summer with the Houston Texans. The ex-Minnesota Vikings signal caller will reportedly miss the 2024 season with a foot injury.
Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander reported the injury development on Tuesday as NFL teams shaved rosters from 90 players to 53.
The Texans will now roll with C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills at quarterback. Veteran Tim Boyle, who was released on Tuesday, could also venture back to Houston on the team’s practice squad.
Keenum will turn 37 next January, so it’s unclear if the foot injury will end his career. With the NFL’s new rules regarding injured reserve, there’s a small chance that the organization could waive Keenum with an injury settlement, enabling him to play elsewhere, but initial reporting suggests the foot ailment isn’t minor.
The veteran passer is treasured by Vikings fans, mainly because his rise to temporary stardom was unforeseen. In 2017, QB1 Sam Bradford was lost for the season — and essentially his career — to a knee injury, and Keenum took over with little fanfare. Before and after his Vikings stint, Keenum never caught on with a team as a consistent performer.
But inside the 2017 season, Keenum was superb, showcasing a playground-like knack for distributing the football, and Stefon Diggs, plus Adam Thielen, feasted. The Vikings finished 13-3 in 2017 behind a murderous defense led by the prime versions of Harrison Smith, Everson Griffen, Xavier Rhodes, Linval Joseph, and others.
Keenum was cut loose immediately after the storybook season, as then-head coach Mike Zimmer was never particularly enamored with his style. He landed with the Denver Broncos thereafter and struggled to remain the team’s QB1. Keenum later joined the Washington Commanders and failed to catch on as the starter. Then, he embarked on back-to-back QB2/QB3 assignments in Cleveland, Buffalo, and Houston.
All told, Keenum has played for the Texans (three separate times), Rams, Vikings, Broncos, Commanders, Browns, and Bills.
Since leaving the Vikings in 2018, Keenum ranks 49th out of 65 QBs via efficiency [EPA+CPOE (min.300 plays)]. Teams led by Keenum are 10-18 (.357), a win-loss record that ranks fourth-worst in the NFL during the timeframe.
Houston’s regular season begins in 11 days, traveling to Indianapolis for a division date with the Colts.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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