Nick Mullens Is Out, Right?
Ted Schwerzler
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When the Minnesota Vikings ultimately wrap up their 2024 NFL Draft, they will do so with a shiny new rookie quarterback. That would mean the roster has four signal callers on it, and Nick Mullens has to be the one to go, right?
Nick Mullens Is Out, Right?
Kirk Cousins decided to take his talents elsewhere this offseason and left a gaping hole at the quarterback position. While not ideal, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was immediately put in a great place to build a new path forward. One part of that blueprint included signing former third-overall pick Sam Darnold.
While the deal with Darnold is only for a single year, it certainly seems apparent that he will be Kevin O’Connell’s starter when Week 1 rolls around. He brings veteran experience to the roster, and while he hasn’t fared well at stops in New York and Carolina, plenty of that could be pinned on having lackluster talent and support around him. If Darnold is the start, that puts the holdovers on shaky ground.
Having moved to acquire a second first-round pick from the Houston Texans, it is assumed that the Vikings will work to grab their quarterback of the future with a first-round pick. No matter who that player is, and even if they are taken within the top three picks of April’s draft, they will likely need to sit and learn behind Darnold for some time. Ideally, that would be for a full season, but regardless of duration, a rookie means Minnesota has two quarterback spots accounted for.
With Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall as the holdovers from the 2023 roster, it stands to reason that continuing to develop Hall may be more fruitful than thinking Mullens can be more than he is. If the Vikings were to cut Mullens, it would hit them for only $375,000 in dead cap. He has shown to be a fine asset when holding the clipboard, but his carelessness with the football doesn’t put a team in position to win. Across 20 career starts, Mullens has won just five times. He has a near-even touchdown to interception ratio and has never shown consistent success at any point in his career.
To say that Hall looked anything but awful in his brief cameos last season would be putting it lightly. Then again, the injury to Cousins had him in a position that no one wanted him to be experiencing. With a full offseason program under his belt and another year to sit and learn, there is a possibility that the former BYU product will become a serviceable backup down the road.
If and when a change is made at the quarterback position, it will be in favor of the rookie starting their journey. Darnold is more than a capable backup, and Mullens would be redundant at that point. It may even be arguable that the Vikings roster just two quarterbacks rather than keeping Mullens instead of Hall.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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