Former Vikings QB Tries Out for 49ers
He’s a free agent, but that may not last for long.
Former Vikings QB Tries Out for 49ers
That’s Kellen Mond, a former Minnesota Vikings quarterback who, with any luck, could become a San Francisco 49er soon.
Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams wrote Wednesday, “Kellen Mond doesn’t have a job, but he is hoping that Wednesday’s work at the 49ers’ local pro day gives him an opportunity for one. Mond was one of four veteran players participating in the workout, joining tight ends Curtis Hodges, Hunter Kampmoyer and Tommy Sweeney.”
Mond last backed up Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew on the Indianapolis Colts roster in 2023, though he saw no regular season action. If he takes the plunge with the 49ers, he’d be the second ex-Vikings quarterback to do so this offseason, as Joshua Dobbs joined Kyle Shanahan’s team last month.
The 24-year-old Mond also last spent time with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and 2023 before rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson effectively swiped his job during the preseason. Too, he auditioned for the Carolina Panthers roster in September 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 drafted by the Vikings’ former leadership regime in 2021 as a possible contingency plan for QB1 Kirk Cousins. Fans endlessly debated 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 20 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 — but now hopes to become a QB4 in San Francisco.
If a contract comes together from Mond’s visit, the 49ers’ QB room would look like this:
- Brock Purdy
- Joshua Dobbs
- Brandon Allen
- Kellen Mond
Mond played against the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason a couple of years ago.
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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. 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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