Recent Vikings QB Gets Scooped Up by NFC Rival
K. Joudry
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The 2024 offseason has been one of great change for quarterbacks associated with the Vikings. Today’s news about a recent Vikings QB further accentuates that reality.
Ross Jackson relayed the word about Kellen Mond: “The #Saints have announced the signing of QB Kellen Mond. Mond was with the Vikings in 2021 having worked with new Saints OC Klint Kubiak and QB coach Andrew Janocko during that time.”
Kellen Mond, The Recent Vikings QB, is Now a Saint
The talented passer had a productive college career.
While at Texas A&M, Mond passed for 9,661 yards, 71 TDs, and 27 interceptions across four seasons. Most concerning was his 59.0 completion percentage, but the Vikings saw enough upside in him to use the 66th selection from the 2021 NFL Draft on bringing him in. After all, his final season in college resulted in a 63.3 completion percentage, the high point in an upward trajectory across his college career where he steadily improved in this area.
With Mike Zimmer at the helm, the opportunities weren’t plentiful.
Mond’s rookie season featured just a single game and 3 total snaps. The young quarterback completed 2/3 passes for a modest 5 yards. The opportunity arose while the Vikings were getting dismantled by the Packers in Week 17, a game that would end in favor of Green Bay by a score of 37-10.
To date, that has been Mond’s only on-field experience apart from the preseason.
After getting cut by the Vikings — something that occurred after the franchise flipped over to the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah & Kevin O’Connell leadership duo — Mond has picked up work at a couple different spots.
The Cleveland Browns snagged Mond off of waivers back in 2022. While working alongside Kevin Stefanski, Mond didn’t get the chance to pick up game action. Then in 2023 he got his next opportunity with the Indianapolis Colts. He spent 2023 calling Indiana home.
In New Orleans, Mond will be competing to become the QB2. Derek Carr is the locked-in QB1, a reality that will only change if an injury were to occur. But, as Dustin Baker notes, the top backup spot isn’t a sure thing. Mond will be competing with Jake Haener and Nathan Peterman.
Plus, the NFL Draft is right around the corner. Maybe a promising passer gets taken out of the event to further intensify the QB competition in New Orleans.
The Saints and Vikings won’t be playing each other in 2024. That is, of course, unless there’s a meeting in the playoffs.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.