Kellen Mond Is An Afterthought As Vikings Head Into Final Stretch of Season

Aug 27, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond (11) runs the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kirk Cousins naysayers understood the Kellen Mond selection as evidence of Minnesota’s intention to move on from their well-compensated QB1. Well, that theory has proven to be as far from the truth as possible, at least for 2021.

The Vikings are (somehow) still battling for their playoff lives. They’ve played 13 games and still have 4 to go. Mond hasn’t gotten in on a single snap. Worse yet, he hasn’t even dressed for a game.

Minnesota’s plan, quite evidently, was to take things slowly with Mond this year. One wonders, though, if he has had a more difficult transition than they originally anticipated. Here is what SI had to say after the selection: “Right away, Mond will provide an upgrade from Sean Mannion as Kirk Cousins’ backup. If he makes some big strides in 2021 and 2022, he could give the Vikings a reason to move on from Cousins and his big contract.”

Sean Mannion was brought back in early September, so the suggestion is that the team was hoping for (ideally) Mond to show himself ready or at least be surprised by Jake Browning. Obviously, the youth movement at QB didn’t work out; Mannion was brought back to be a sideline help to Captain Kirk.

The Vikings would be in major trouble if Cousins goes down at any point.

At Texas A&M, Kellen Mond was supremely productive. His 19/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio during his senior year is impressive. The Vikings, moreover, were impressed with his ability to extend plays with his legs. They took him 66th overall, a draft slot that suggests they at least thought he could be a serviceable backup in the short term.



He struggled in the preseason, looking overwhelmed even though has was playing the backups to the backups. Browning, for a time, looked like he may snag the QB2 job, but he didn’t seize his opportunity. Mond was kept around largely because of his draft slot, not his performance. Browning is long gone.

I knew he was a long shot to see meaningful snaps in 2021, but it is disappointing that he hasn’t even dressed. I had optimism that perhaps the team would find a way to use his athleticism, bringing him in for RPOs or a wildcat-style look. Such creativity has never come to fruition.

The 2021 season isn’t over yet for the Vikings, but it appears as though it already is for Kellen Mond. Hopefully, he has taken the redshirt year as a chance to grow his game, thereby allowing him to take over as a QB2 with upside for the 2022 season. He will account for $1.2 million on next season’s cap. His ability to run with the backup job will mean the team doesn’t need to spend any more money at QB and they they’d have an extra roster spot.

Until then, let’s hope Captain Kirk finds a way to put together some unlikely wins.

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