Vikings’ Belief in One Player Could Derail Offseason Theories
As the offseason got started in Minnesota, one of the main theories for the team revolved around the QB position.
Namely, many have projected that the Vikings will attempt to select their future franchise quarterback early on in the draft. With Kirk Cousins heading into his age-36 season, the Vikings need to think about their future at the position.
However, there is one player who could derail these initial offseason theories. That player is Jaren Hall.
Vikings’ Belief in One Player Could Derail Offseason Theories
Hall was selected by the Vikings in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and was viewed as a project quarterback with the tools to eventually become a quality NFL player.
The QB spent his collegiate years at BYU, and after Wilson led the Cougars to an 11-1 record in 2020 and was selected second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, the reins were then fully turned over to Hall for the 2021 campaign.
Over two seasons as a starter, Hall threw for 5754 yards, 51 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while also adding 782 rushing yards and six rushing TDs. This dual-threat ability made him a captivating prospect, and Minnesota jumped at the opportunity to pick him up.
Hall’s rookie season began innocently enough as the emergency QB3 or Cousins’ backup after Nick Mullens suffered a back injury. However, that quickly changed after Cousins suffered his Achilles injury.
The rookie was thrown into Minnesota’s Week 8 game against the Green Bay Packers following the injury, and Hall completed three of four passes for 23 yards. He then got the start the following weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, and while he performed well in the first quarter, a concussion ended his stint as the starter.
Hall remained on the sideline until, ironically enough, Minnesota’s next game against the Packers where he was thrust into the starting lineup after poor showings from Josh Dobbs and Mullens in the previous weeks.
Once again, though, his start was short lived after he was pulled at halftime with the Vikings trailing 23-3 through the first 30 minutes. He completed five of his 10 passes for 67 yards and an interception.
While it wasn’t necessarily the greatest showing from Hall, a game against a divisional opponent with playoff hopes on the line was a very difficult situation for the rookie to be thrown into.
Following the Week 18 game, Kevin O’Connell continued to show faith in the young QB, saying, “Still a ton of confidence in where [Hall’s] at. I love the way he’s attacked this week regardless of where he was at on the depth chart, and I think any young player with a really bright future, that’s the hope. And he knows we support him fully, and we’re gonna use last week as a long-term learning opp.”
The amount of faith that O’Connell truly has in Hall could determine what the Vikings decide to do at the quarterback position this offseason.
If the Vikings believe that Hall still has potential to be a starter in the NFL, perhaps that could sway them away from selecting a quarterback in the upcoming draft. It certainly wasn’t a conventional rookie year for the fifth-round pick, and perhaps with another offseason of development, Minnesota can still turn him into something.
We shall see where the Vikings decide to go, but the potential of Hall cannot be written off just yet.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference CFB.
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.
