Don’t Expect Much Kellen Mond Action in Year One
Dustin Baker
|
The Minnesota Vikings exist in an advantageous spot for a development quarterback as the 2021 season commences. Current signal-caller Kirk Cousins is financially committed to the Vikings for two more seasons, although the team could theoretically trade him during the 2022 offseason if that plan grew legs.
Follow the money, though. It’s Cousins for 2021 — and probably 2022 unless the 32-year-old has an uncharacteristically rotten season.
And that sets the table nicely for Vikings rookie quarterback, Kellen Mond. The Texas A&M alumnus was drafted out of the 3rd Round in April, a byproduct of a trade executed by Vikings boss man, Rick Spielman. Minnesota sent the 14th overall pick and the 143rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to the New York Jets for the 23rd overall pick and two more 3rd Rounders. Spielman flipped that deal into left tackle Christian Darrisaw, quarterback Kellen Mond, and right guard Wyatt Davis. The Jets drafted a guard in Alijah Vera-Tucker. On paper, it was an illustrious transaction for Minnesota.
But Mond won’t see much action right away. Injuries could, of course, transpire. However, the plan is for Mond to watch and learn — an assignment often allotted to a rookie signal-caller, particularly in the “old” NFL. Today, there is more enthusiasm for starting a quarterback out of the gate rather than bolstering his maturity on the bench.
In an article about rookie quarterbacks’ projected 2021 playing time, Bleacher Report‘s Brad Gagnon forecasted on-the-field prognoses for all notable first-year passers. For Mond, the outlook in 2021 is nil:
“There’s a lot to love about the strong and athletic Mond coming out of Round 3, but the Minnesota Vikings owe Kirk Cousins $76 million between now and the conclusion of the 2022 campaign, according to Spotrac. They’re in too deep. Besides, Cousins might lack consistency, but he’s coming off the two highest-rated seasons of his career. And the Vikes aren’t good enough or bad enough to find themselves playing meaningless games in December or January, which means Mond will likely have to wait at least a year.“
Here, Gagnon illustrates a limbo for the Vikings, disabling an immediate commitment to Mond. When the Vikings are in a “not good enough” or “not bad enough” classification, the product is considered stale or a Zimmer-needs-to-go mentality looms. If it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers, for example — well, they’re just considered a bastion of consistency. The sanctimony is strange.
In any event — indeed, the Vikings are all-in once again. The team has preached a win-now mode since about 2016. Mond does not easily factor into the urgency, so he will kick back and develop. This philosophy has worked before with Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, etc. To be fair, there are also plenty of occasions where the “throw him to the wolves” approach works, too. See: Russell Wilson or Justin Herbert.
Nevertheless, the 2021 Vikings are not that. Perhaps Mond could fold into some offensive looks in certain situations, but does Zimmer really feel like the type of head coach that is chomping at the bit to try quirky things of offense? Imagine Minnesota with a Taysom Hill.
Cousins is paid near the top of the business for salary — for better or worse — so he will get at least one more crack at aligning his offense with a robust Zimmer-led defense.
That’s always the utopian fantasy: An offense like 2020 with a healthy Dalvin Cook, paired with some semblance of the 2017 Vikings defense — and mix in an offensive line that is not crummy.
Maybe it’ll finally happen this September.