Former Vikings QB Hits Free Agency Again
Josh Frey
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Once upon a time, the hope in Minnesota was that Kellen Mond would be the eventual successor to Kirk Cousins at the quarterback position.
Minnesota landed Mond in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft after a strong collegiate career at Texas A&M, but after a tumultuous rookie season, the Vikings ended up moving on from the QB in 2022. Now, the former Vikings QB is back on the free agency market after being released by the New Orleans Saints.
Former Vikings QB Hits Free Agency Again
Field Yates of ESPN reported the news on Wednesday, tweeting, “The Saints have waived QB Kellen Mond and OL Tommy Kraemer.”
Mond entered the NFL after a four-year collegiate career at Texas A&M. With the Aggies, he passed for 9661 yards, 71 TDs, and 27 INTs over 46 games. Heading into the NFL Draft, many crowned him as an underrated prospect, with Lance Zierlein of NFL.com giving him a player comp of Colin Kaepernick.
Understandably, there was a tantalizing excitement for a young QB who could have turned into one of the big steals of the draft if he lived up to such a comparison.
However, things simply never worked out for Mond with the Vikings. During his rookie season, he went through frequent struggles during training camp and preseason. When the regular season rolled around in 2021, he would appear in just one game, attempting three passes against the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. He completed two of them for 5 yards.
Mond’s lackluster showing during his only drive of the game led to Mike Zimmer’s infamous comments during the postgame press conference. When asked if he wanted to see more of Mond in the regular season finale, the head coach had paltry responses of “not particularly” and “I see him every day.”
When both Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman were let go by the Vikings following the 2021 season, the new regime of Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah purged the roster of the majority of that 2021 Vikings class.
After being waived by the Vikings, Mond was picked up by the Cleveland Browns, but that tenure was short-lived as well with the QB being waived prior to the start of the regular season.
Mond quickly landed back on the Browns practice squad for the 2022 season, but he was released again prior to 2023 and picked up by the Colts before signing with the Saints this offseason.
The QB is still awaiting his first regular season action since leaving Minnesota.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference CFB.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.