The Road to 53: Where Does QB Nick Mullens Stand with the Vikings?
The majority of the “roster building” portion of the NFL offseason is behind us.
Now, the focus turns towards getting the players on the 90-man roster onto the field to begin evaluating play. Then, at the end of the summer, Minnesota will go through the process of trimming their roster down to its final 53 players for the regular season.
As such, it is time to begin our “Road to 53” series, discussing how these 90 players can impact the Vikings in 2023 as well as some of the obstacles standing in their way. First up on the list is the veteran QB Nick Mullens.
Background
Mullens spent his collegiate career at Southern Mississippi where he was a gunslinger for the Golden Eagles. Over his four seasons, the QB threw for 11,994 yards, 87 touchdowns, and 46 interceptions. He remains the program’s all-time leader in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, ahead of Hall of Famer Brett Favre, who also spent four years at the school.
However, this production in the CUSA was not enough to get Mullens selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent and spent the 2017 season on the practice squad.
Mullens then made eight starts for the 49ers in 2018 and eight more in 2020 as Jimmy Garoppolo dealt with injuries. He threw for a grand total of 4714 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions during his 19 total appearances in San Francisco.
In 2021, Mullens signed with the Cleveland Browns and made one start, tossing for 147 yards and a touchdown in a 16-14 loss against the Raiders. He actually signed with those same Raiders just a few months later before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
Mullens would not make a start for the Vikings in 2022, but after Kirk Cousins’ Achilles tear in 2023, he was part of the carousel of starting QBs in Minnesota down the stretch of last season. Ultimately, Mullens appeared in five games for the Vikings, including three starts, and threw for 1306 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
He was 0-3 in the starts for the Vikings and is 5-15 as a starter throughout his career.
How Nick Mullens Can Impact the 2024 Minnesota Vikings
At the very least, Mullens is a quality backup QB with zero fear as a passer. This can be valuable for a team that features some uncertainty at the position now that Cousins is out of the picture.
Free agent acquisition Sam Darnold has dealt with some injury concerns in the past, which shouldn’t be ignored, particularly if the Vikings want to allow J.J. McCarthy to sit and learn throughout his rookie season. If needed as a spot starter, Mullens certainly is capable.
Obstacles in Mullens’ Way
If it was just a matter of Darnold, McCarthy, and Mullens jostling for position on the Vikings’ depth chart, there would be little concern of the veteran making the 53-man roster, considering the NFL’s new “emergency QB3” rule that went back into effect last year.
However, the Jaren Hall wrinkle makes this battle a little more interesting. Yes, Hall was only a fifth-round pick last year, so it wouldn’t necessarily be considered a massive sunk cost if Minnesota were to part ways with the BYU product.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell have been very diligent about keeping the majority of their own draft picks around, though, and Hall showed some promise during portions of 2023. If the Vikings want to continue exploring Hall’s potential, and Mullens is outperformed during camp, he could be on the way out.
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.