Case Keenum Is Already a Game-Changer for his New Team
Former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum is one of the most beloved players in recent franchise history. It’s hard to believe his short-lived tenure with the purple club ended more than seven years ago. Before that magical season, he was a journeyman passer, and he has been in that role again since leaving in 2018.
Case Keenum Is Already a Game-Changer for his New Team
Earlier this offseason, Skol Nation and PurplePTSD closely monitored the backup quarterback market because the options were dwindling for the Vikings. One of the guys who was on the fans’ wishlists was Keenum, and he was suddenly off the market when he joined the division rivals, the Chicago Bears.
Of course, he isn’t expected to take over for starter Caleb Williams, but his presence is already paying dividends as a backup and mentor for the young signal-caller.
Albert Breer, a respected NFL insider at SI.com, released one of his Q&A articles on Tuesday, and he was asked about Williams’ development. The sophomore has recently been in the news because of the report of him trying to avoid the Chicago Bears in the pre-draft process and preferring to head to the Twin Cities instead.
Breer emphasised that Williams has fully bought into the new coaching staff and wrote about his growth: “Progress, thus far, has been steady, and Williams is working at it. The Bears adding Case Keenum to the quarterback room was, indeed, intentional, and Williams has taken advantage of it, in using Keenum almost as another coach after hours (to work around the CBA-mandated limits on what the coaches can actually do with the players at this point in the calendar). And, on the field, Williams has been good for at least one ‘did he really do that?’ throw every day.”
Williams’ talent is undeniable, and if he can learn the ins and outs of QB play, combined with his arm talent and mobility, the division could be in trouble.
To learn those ins and outs, he needs to be coached up. Part of the reported problems were easily fixable stuff, like him not knowing how to watch game film. Guess who has watched film in the NFL for more than a decade and can help Williams if needed? On-field things like managing the game more instead of trying to make a big play, or throwing the ball away rather than running into trouble, could also be something Keenum can assist him with.
Last year, the Bears had only sophomore Tyson Bagent as Williams’ real backup. Austin Reed, an undrafted rookie, was on the practice squad. Chicago parted ways with a more experienced passer, and now Viking, Brett Rypien, after the preseason.
Minnesota’s infrastructure is part of why Williams wanted to head to the Vikings. Kevin O’Connell is a former NFL quarterback himself, and he surely would’ve been a better partner for a rookie signal-caller than Matt Eberflus.
In addition to that, the Vikings have respected offensive coordinator Wes Phillips in the building, as well as QB coach and former NFL QB Josh McCown. Grant Udinski, formerly the assistant QB coach, was hired by the Jaguars as OC this offseason. He was asked to mentor J.J. McCarthy last season.
Chicago, meanwhile, had a defensive-minded lame-duck head coach and an underwhelming offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, who has already been on the wrong side of some horrific reports when it comes to developing Williams. The new staff around new HC Ben Johnson should be more QB-friendly.
Well, they also have an extra coach in Keenum.
Keenum was a gunslinging record-breaker at the University of Houston, but still went undrafted in 2012. He is undersized, and that surely didn’t help, but the Texans added the hometown kid to the offseason roster, and that’s where his journeyman career began. Prior to playing for the Vikings, he spent time with the Texans and Rams.
Keenum threw for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his lone Vikings season. Planned to be the backup for Sam Bradford, he was suddenly asked to captain the offense with explosive weapons on the outside and a decent running game. Of course, having an elite defense helped him, too. In return for a cheap salary, Keenum delivered one of the greatest plays in franchise history when he found Stefon Diggs in the final seconds of a divisional round matchup for the Minneapolis Miracle.
His magic dwindled in 2018 after signing with the Broncos, resulting in 18 touchdowns and 15 picks. Denver quickly moved on, shipping him to Washington, where he worked with Kevin O’Connell, throwing 11 TDs and five INTs. Since then, he has been a backup in Cleveland, Buffalo, and Houston. He missed the entire 2024 season on injured reserve.
Keenum has played in 80 career games (66 starts), registering 15,175 yards, 79 touchdowns, and 51 picks.
He will host the Vikings in Week 1 and return to U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 11.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.