Vikings Folk Hero Ruled Out for 2024 Season
2017. The Vikings clinch a first-round bye in the final week of the regular season. A week later, the organization watched the Saints beat the Panthers on their day off. Drew Brees and Sean Payton would come to the Twin Cities eight years after the Vikings lost in heartbreaking fashion in New Orleans’ living room. In an unlikely matchup, future Hall of Famer Brees and career backup Case Keenum would be battling it out.
Vikings Folk Hero Ruled Out for 2024 Season
Keenum was an unlikely hero for the 2017 Vikings, a team filled with Pro Bowlers on both sides of the field. The entire Vikings organization wasn’t expected to make any noise when Sam Bradford’s notorious knee problems flared up and rookie running back Dalvin Cook had to undergo season-ending surgery.
Fast forward almost seven years, Keenum has been placed on season-ending IR by his hometown Houston Texans. He has been dealing with a foot injury.
Houston’s GM Nick Caserio said about the veteran:
His leadership, his toughness, his intelligence. It’s unfortunate that he’s not going to be able to play football this year. Hopefully, he’s around the team and around the building. He can be an asset to the team, to that room. A lot of respect and appreciation for Case, what he’s done not only over the last year or so or year and change, but over the course of his career.
You’re talking about a guy that went undrafted that’s basically made it 12, 13 years, whatever it’s been. So, it’s a credit to him. It’s unfortunate, difficult situation. I’m sure there’s a lot of emotion involved. I don’t want to speak for him, but as far as what he does moving forward, ultimately that’s going to be his choice. I think whatever he decides to do, he’s going to be really good at it.
Nick Caserio
The executive was asked about a potential retirement and a future in coaching. Keenum is 36 and in the final season of his two-year contract with the Texans, the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and gave him his first starting experience in 2013.
Looking back at 2017, Mike Zimmer, Vikings head coach in his fourth season, had formed an unbeatable defense. His unit featured three excellent pass rushers: Everson Griffen, Brian Robison, and Danielle Hunter; a dominant nose tackle in Linval Joseph; a shutdown cornerback in Xavier Rhodes; safety Harrison Smith in his prime; and the linebacker duo Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr.
The offense just had to be reliable under the guidance of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur; scoring 21 points usually got the job done. On that side of the ball, Keenum could throw to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, an emerging elite wide receiver duo, and Kyle Rudolph was roaming in the middle of the field. Behind Cook, the Vikings employed Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray, who formed a surprisingly dynamic tandem.
Keenum played an underwhelming 2017 preseason, and the first few games in relief of Bradford were uninspiring, leading the team to a 2-2 record. It clicked for him and the entire group in the second half of the season, and he finished the year with over 3,500 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, and only seven interceptions despite his tendency to take risks with the ball.
The 13-3 franchise headed to the playoffs after a one-season absence. A dominant first half versus the Saints was countered with a bad second half, and HOF quarterback Brees torched the defense, outscoring the Vikings 24-6, taking a one-point lead with only seconds to go.
What then followed was total pandemonium. Keenum hit Diggs for a 19-yard gain, and the Vikes used their final timeout, but only 18 seconds remained on the clock. The QB fired incomplete on first and second down, leaving ten seconds to get into field goal range.
The next play won’t ever be forgotten in NFL history, and every Vikings fan still knows exactly what he was doing and feeling in that moment. To quote play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, “Keenum, Diggs, sideline, touchdown. Unbelievable. The Vikings win it.” A blown tackle on Diggs by safety Marcus Williams allowed Diggs to run into the endzone. Game over.
After the chaos on the field was resolved, the Vikings had to attempt the point after try. That rule was changed right after the game. Keenum trotted out in disbelief, performing the Skol Chant with the entire crowd, which truly felt like an “after years of journeyman duties, this is my new home” moment.
A disastrous championship game followed, and the Vikings would move on in free agency, acquiring Kirk Cousins, a superior talent at quarterback. The track records of the two passers since 2018 pretty obviously favor Cousins, although it has ultimately not led to much team success.
Keenum became the starter for the Broncos in 2018, then started eight contests for Washington’s OC Kevin O’Connell in 2019, and he accepted backup duties in Cleveland for two seasons. A stint in Buffalo in 2022 was followed by two years in Houston, where his NFL journey started. He also played college ball in Houston and is still holding the all-time passing yards and touchdowns records.
In 11 NFL seasons and with seven NFL teams, Keenum started 66 of the 80 games he appeared in, throwing for 15,175 yards, 79 touchdowns, and 51 interceptions. Not bad for an undrafted career backup.
If there was a backup Hall of Fame, Keenum certainly had a good shot at making it. His finest hour came as Minnesota’s leader in 2017, and he will be unforgotten in the Twin Cities.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt