Mad at O’Connell? Vikings Replace Mullens With $4 Million QB…
Despite what quarterback Nick Mullens’ coach Kevin O’Connell described as some “critical errors” in a Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Minnesota Vikings have decided to stick with him.
Though rookie Jaren Hall looked good in a Week 9 start against the Atlanta Falcons, there have been questions about why Hall has not been considered to start as Minnesota continues to run the Mullens-led offense into the final three weeks of the season.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported on December 19 that Mullens is on a leash with his turnover struggles a well-known characteristic of his game, but the team is skittish on handing the starting reigns to Hall.
“I’ve heard there’s reluctance to go with the rookie,” Wolfson said on SKOR North’s “Mackey and Judd” podcast. “As long as the playoffs are attainable they’re not ready to throw Jaren Hall out there.”
Drafted in the fifth round and signed to a four-year, $4.1 million contract, Hall was considered a developmental project following Mullens’ initial season-long designation as Kirk Cousins’ backup. Before suffering a concussion and leaving the game against the Falcons, Hall completed five of six pass attempts for 78 yards, showing glimpses of his potential.
That performance has been enough to keep him in higher favor than Josh Dobbs. Hall is listed as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart and would be the in-game replacement if Mullens went down with an injury during a game.
Beyond being an emergency plan, Hall could be looked to if Mullens blunders multiple times this week in a pivotal NFC North division matchup with the Detroit Lions on December 24.
“If it’s multiple catastrophic mistakes on Sunday, I don’t know how you wouldn’t, in the moment, make the change,” Wolfson added.
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There’s only so much you can prepare for until you’re hit in the mouth, and throughout Mullens’ career, he’s shown to make significant errors in the heat of the moment.
In the first half, Mullens made two costly interceptions from inside the Bengals’ 25-yard line, which essentially prevented the team from scoring. He attempted to get rid of the ball as he was being carried to the ground after the interception and tossed it into Bengals defensive lineman B.J. Hill’s lap. Despite Mullens’ six years in the league, he lacked the situational awareness to take the sack.
“Just take the sack and kick the field goal,” Mullens said, reflecting on the play, per the Pioneer Press. “You already have points there, so take them.”
Beyond the interceptions, Mullens operated the offense effectively, completing 26-of-33 pass attempts for 303 yards, two touchdowns and a 99.9 passer rating. However, his career interception rate of 3.6% would lead the NFL this season — and he’s thrown interceptions in three of the four games he’s appeared in with Minnesota.
Mullens is a prototype gunslinger quarterback who has tendencies to play too aggressively. But overall, O’Connell said he was satisfied with Mullens’ performance, which met his expectations.
But it seems that O’Connell is reluctant to give the rookie a chance because he is afraid of the unknown, which is Hall. Rather than going all in with Hall, Minnesota is stumbling toward the end of the regular season in an attempt to scrape by in the playoffs.