The Silver Lining Takeaway about Vikings Rookie QB
Dustin Baker
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall did not play well on New Year’s Eve against the Green Bay Packers and, in fact, wound up contributing the final coffin nail for 2023.
The Vikings need about three things to happen this weekend — while also beating the Detroit Lions — to reach the postseason. It’s a longshot and one that likely won’t occur.
The Silver Lining Takeaway about Vikings Rookie QB
Still, ever the optimist, head coach Kevin O’Connell remained upbeat about Hall’s long-term trajectory this week. Per O’Connell, the rookie’s struggles on Sunday night need not define him forever.
“The decision was made to go with Jaren for a lot of reasons, one of which was we were excited about what Jaren’s potential is, and we wanted to give him an opportunity. We’ve dealt with some turnovers at the quarterback position, and Jaren was healthy and could have a full week of preparation and had some good weeks of preparation leading in, and it just didn’t translate to our offense having the kind of success we needed to have in a game where they were able to have some success, move the ball and score points,” O’Connell told reporters after losing to the Packers 33-10.
Minnesota could’ve rolled with Nick Mullens or Joshua Dobbs in the pivotal Week 17 showdown but chose Hall under the assumption he could possibly protect the ball better than Mullens and get the ball downfield more than Dobbs.
Neither occurred.
O’Connell continued about Hall’s development, “We’ll take a look at it and make sure Jaren knows the areas where he needs to improve during this week, during the offseason, during his path to getting to where he’s going to become the player we know he can become. I think if we use this experience for whatever it was, use it as a positive to hopefully spurt some growth moving forward for Jaren, that would be the goal.”
The Vikings found Hall in the 5th Round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and some fans convinced themselves in the last two months that BYU alumnus could thrive as early as now. The theory was false, at least for the time being.
“My expectation is knowing the type of person and player and commitment to continuing to grow and become the player he’s going to become. My expectation is that’s what’s going to happen with the help of our coaching staff, with the help of our guys around him in the huddle, and obviously Jaren’s work ethic that he has,” O’Connell concluded.
And the head coach is correct. One or two starts — especially for a late-round rookie — won’t doom Hall. He’ll eventually get a look as a reservist quarterback for the Vikings or another team. His opening salvo in 2023 wasn’t dazzling, but not every quarterback arrives on the scene like Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert.
Quarterbacks need time to mature, and late-rounders often take even longer than the who’s who.
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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