Case Keenum Signed a New Deal in the NFC North
Case Keenum will always be fondly remembered in Minnesota Vikings lore as the backup that took over from Sam Bradford in 2017 and guided the squad to the NFC Championship Game, a place the club hasn’t been since. Last offseason, he signed a deal with the Chicago Bears and he just re-upped that contract.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he scored a fresh two-year, $5.5 million paycheck with a max value of $8 million, likely achievable via playing time incentives. The Bears didn’t primarily sign him to play, however, but to mentor the young quarterback room he shares with Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent.
Keenum, in fact, hasn’t thrown an in-game football since the 2023 campaign.
During January’s playoff run, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was asked about the role his veteran backup has with his inexperienced QB teammates: “When things get a little bit too high, you can swing it back and just keep everyone grounded,” Johnson explained. “Same thing when things aren’t quite going your way, you’re facing a little adversity, he knows the right things to say just to make sure we can pull ourselves out of that hole. I don’t know if coaching is in his future or not, but I think he’d be a hell of a coach one day if he chooses to go that path.”
Keenum has seen it all during his long NFL journey that started as an undrafted rookie out of Houston. In 2012, he signed with the Houston Texans and since then, he has added stints in St. Louis, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Denver, Washington, Cleveland, Buffalo and Chicago to his résume.
The 38-year-old has played in 80 career games with 66 starts, recording 79 passing touchdowns and 51 interceptions.
More from Johnson: “He’s been an integral part of what we’ve done. He’s been tremendous in terms of Caleb’s growth. That was really the thought process of bringing him in, a guy with skins on the wall. He’s played in big games himself at a high level. He’s won big games. He’s lost big games.”
“His experience has been something that all these young players can really lean into, particularly in weeks like this, where you come off an emotional win and yet you’ve got to turn your sights onto the next page pretty quickly. I think Case’s message this week has been very profound for not just the offense, but the entire team. The vision we had bringing him in, it’s been pretty incredible.”
at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
It ultimately didn’t get the Bears past the Los Angeles Rams, but Williams looked like a mature version of his rookie self throughout the season and Keenum might have helped him get there.
But Johnson is right, Keenum did play in the big games. His biggest game was a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, but a pass from the previous week will be part of highlight reels for decades. His prayer to Stefon Diggs delivered the Minneapolis Miracle, knocked the New Orleans Saints out of the playoff race, and kept the Vikings’ Super Bowl hopes alive.
It was undoubtedly Keenum’s best season. He didn’t reach that level of play before that magical 2017 season and he has been chasing it ever since. In a team led by the prime version of Mike Zimmer’s defense, Keenum was just asked to steer the ship, not to carry it. He went 11-3 as a starter, throwing for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, operating an offense with a solid running game and good receivers.
After the season, the Vikings showed him the door and acquired Kirk Cousins to take his spot. That was — all emotions aside — indeed an upgrade, proven by their career numbers since that point, though it never amounted to another deep playoff run.
Since his exit, Keenum has taken snaps with five different teams and he has thrown for 33 scores and 24 interceptions.
Keenum was not re-signed to throw passes for the Bears, but to be a coach in the locker room. In the upcoming season, the 38-year-old will return to U.S. Bank Stadium once again, where he orchestrated perhaps the most memorable play in franchise history.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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