Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A Las Vegas Raiders helmet sits on the field before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
In NFL-speak, no one had heard from Kellen Mond since last spring, but the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback popped his head into the news cycle this week.
Mond, now a member of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas, tried out for the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster this week, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Whether he lands a deal on the Raiders’ practice squad or remains a free agent, Mond is on tap for the play for the 2025 Brahmas.
The Raiders have encountered quarterback turmoil — because of injury and poor performance — forced to roll with Desmond Ridder in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend. Current QB1 Aidan O’Connell is banged up and could miss games, while Gardner Minshew is on injured reserve.
Here’s the state of play at quarterback for Las Vegas:
If the Raiders add Mond, he’d serve as injury insurance to O’Connell and Ridder.
Mond lasted in New Orleans for about four weeks earlier this year, signing on the Saints’ dotted line in April, but when that franchise scooped Spencer Rattler from Round 5 of the 2024 NFL Draft, he was evidently on borrowed time. The ex-Viking hit free agency and received no nibbles.
Here’s Mond’s career resume to date:
Mond last backed up Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew on the Indianapolis Colts roster in 2023, though he saw no regular season playing time. The 25-year-old Mond also spent time with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and 2023 before rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson effectively stole his job during the preseason. Too, he auditioned for the Carolina Panthers roster in September 2023 when Bryce Young was temporarily injured but did not land a gig.
The Vikings evaluated Mond during 2022 training camp and preseason, leading to a trade involving Nick Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders. The moment Mullens set foot in Eagan, Minnesota, he became the Vikings QB2, leaving Mond as the odd man out and an eventual journeyman quarterback.
Mond was chosen by the Vikings’ former leadership regime in 2021 as a possible contingency plan for QB1 Kirk Cousins in the 2021 NFL Draft. Fans constantly argued whether Cousins was actually a true franchise quarterback, so the addition of Mond was viewed as an exciting what-if. But the 3rd-Rounder didn’t pan out and has bounced around the NFL in 21 months since departing Minnesota.
Aside from a few flashes of competence — mainly in the first preseason game of 2022 — Mond played terribly for the Vikings. The Vikings knew Mond was developmental and raw, however, he leaned heavily on the raw trait during his brief Minnesota tenure.
The Vikings waived Mond on August 31st, 2022, and he latched onto the Browns roster via waivers the next day. He didn’t play any regular season snaps for the 2022 Browns — even with Deshaun Watson suspended for 11 games.
Mond also tried out for the San Francisco 49ers 90-man roster early in the 2024 offseason, though no contract materialized. He’ll turn 26 next summer and has thrown three passes in his NFL career, all with the Vikings.
The Raiders host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football this week and are expected to lose by five points.
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.
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