Former Vikings QB Is Cooked
The UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas are going nowhere fast.
Former Vikings QB Is Cooked
When the season launched this spring, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond was supposed to rekindle his gridiron career in the offshoot league. But that has not been the case.
The Brahmas benched Mond last week, signalling a sharp downturn for Mond’s career, which may not be rectifiable.
Kellen Mond Benched in UFL
Pro Football Newsroom‘s James Larsen tweeted last weekend, “NEWS: The San Antonio Brahmas will be starting Kevin Hogan at quarterback this week, vs. the Stallions. Hogan has primarily been QB3, but after Payton Pardee opened up the competition in practice this week, the veteran gets the starting nod for the Brahmas.”
The news was confirmed on the field Sunday when the Birmingham Stallions spanked Mond’s Brahmas 26-3 with him on the sidelines. Former NFLer Kevin Hogan replaced Mond but didn’t do much, delivering 17 completions on 26 attempts for 179 passing yards, no touchdowns, and an interception.
San Antonio Express-News’ Greg Luca noted on the situation, “Speaking to the media after the San Antonio Brahmas returned to practice Wednesday, interim coach Payton Pardee said the decision on a starting quarterback is ‘something we’re going to evaluate this week through the course of practices.'”
“Starter Kellen Mond had struggled through the first half of the year as the Brahmas slid to the bottom of the UFL standings at 1-4. Backup Jarrett Guarantano was no more productive after entering in the third quarter of last week’s 27-3 loss to Houston, and an illness kept him out of practices Wednesday and Thursday.”
Mond is a San Antonio native, making his initial relationship with the Brahmas a bit noteworthy.
Luca added, “So, when the Brahmas released their depth chart ahead of another road test against the Birmingham Stallions at 3 p.m. Sunday, 32-year-old journeyman Kevin Hogan was listed as the starter, tasked with trying to spark San Antonio in his first action of the year.”
Not a Good Sign for Mond’s Career Trajectory
Mond didn’t catch on in the NFL despite numerous tryouts. If his bench relegation stays intact, it will be rough to bounce back from a UFL demotion. In fact, if Mond can’t make it in the UFL, well, there’s virtually no chance of an NFL reunion, not even for a QB4 assignment on a practice squad.
The UFL is a forum to launch players back into the spotlight. Instead, Mond has evidently regressed.
Mond with the Vikings
The Vikings drafted Mond three years ago, the longshot plan to succeed Kirk Cousins, a 3rd-Rounder with raw upside.
He auditioned for the QB2 job in 2021 and 2022, losing out on the gig as a rookie to veteran Sean Mannion, now a coach on the Green Bay Packers’ staff. Former Vikings skipper Mike Zimmer notoriously wasn’t fond of Mond, and made headlines during the 2021 campaign when he absolutely refused to put Mond into games until there was no other recourse.
Mond entered a late-season game that year at the Green Bay Packers and promptly struggled. Some chided Zimmer’s treatment of Mond, insisting the young passer could be sneaky good underneath it all. Yet, with the recent UFL demotion, Zimmer was right all along.
Other teams like the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts gave Mond a whirl after the Vikings cut him in the summer of 2022, but he simply had no staying power. Hence, the UFL job.
A CFL Remergence?
A report emerged this week, claiming a certain CFL team owns Mond’s rights.
3DownNation.com‘s Justin Dunk wrote, “The Saskatchewan Roughriders own the exclusive negotiation rights to 2021 NFL Draft pick, quarterback Kellen Mond, per sources. Mond was selected in the third round, 66th overall by the Minnesota Vikings. He spent one season there, 2022 with the Cleveland Browns and 2023 in Indianapolis with the Colts. The six-foot-two, 211-pound QB was with the New Orleans Saints for less than one month in the spring last year. That was the last time he was under contract with an NFL team.”
“The San Antonio, TX native played his NCAA football at Texas A&M University. He started 44 games for the Aggies, completing 59 percent of his passes for 9,661 yards with 71 touchdowns against 27 interceptions. The dual-threat QB rushed 438 times for 1,608 yards and 22 touchdowns.”
Perhaps Mond could hop over to the CFL if the UFL continues to trend poorly for him.
Brahmas Struggling On the Whole
The Brahmas are 1-5 through six weeks, embracing total chaos, including the resignation of their offense coordinator, head coach Wade Phillips’ leave of absence, and Mond’s demotion.
It won’t get any easier as San Antonio hosts the league-leading DC Defenders on Friday night, a club with a 4-2 record.
Mond will turn 26 next month.
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