Getty The Vikings traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for quarterback Nick Mullens.
The Minnesota Vikings have officially opened a competition at quarterback.
Sending a conditional seventh-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Vikings have traded for Raiders third-string quarterback Nick Mullens, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on August 22.
“Trade! The #Raiders are sending QB Nick Mullens to the #Vikings for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2024, per sources,” Pelissero tweeted. “A new potential backup for Kirk Cousins.”
Mullens, who has 17 career starts, will compete with Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion for the remainder of the preseason with the QB2 spot behind Cousins still open.
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Background on Mullens
At Southern Mississippi, Mullens broke several of Brett Favre’s school records. As a junior, Mullens surpassed Brett Favre’s single-season record for passing yards (4,476) and touchdown passes (38). He is also the only true freshman to throw for 300 passing yards in a game for the Golden Eagles.
Confidence has never been an issue for Mullens, who has played with a chip on his shoulder as an undrafted prospect. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, making the practice squad each of his first two NFL seasons. Mullens made his first regular-season start against the Raiders on Thursday Night Football.
He completed 16 of 22 pass attempts for 262 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-3 win. His passer rating of 151.9 was the highest since 1970 for a quarterback with at least 20 passing attempts in their NFL debut.
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#49ers QB Nick Mullens has officially signed his ERFA tender, per @FieldYates He will make $750,000 this season per reports.
Throwback to his impressive debut last season against The Raiders, where he made his name known to the world.
While Mullens won over the hearts of many 49ers fans, he saw mixed results the remainder of his debut season. Mullens went 3-5 in 2018, throwing for 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He surpassed a 100 passer rating in two more wins after his heroics against the Raiders.
Mullens’ 2018 performance earned him a job as a primary backup behind Jimmy Garoppolo for the next two seasons. He went 2-6 as a starter in 2020 before suffering a season-ending elbow injury. Mullens completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,437 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The 49ers opted not to re-sign Mullens, who signed with the Cleveland Browns last offseason. He started in Week 15 against the Raiders, and completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 147 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Derek Carr went on to lead a game-winning drive in a 16-14 Las Vegas win.
Mullens signed with the Raiders in April. Against the Vikings on August 4, Mullens completed 7 of 9 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in what proved to be a tryout performance for the Vikings’ newest quarterback.
Vikings Open QB2 Battle
Mullens’ arrival to Minnesota less than a month before the preseason opener creates a reinvigorated competition for the backup role behind Cousins.
Neither Mond nor Mannion put forth a strong enough performance yet this offseason to warrant either incumbent to taking the job. The Vikings have listed as co-second string quarterbacks on the team’s unofficial depth chart this offseason.
But with Mullens entering the picture, the Vikings are finally ready to clear up their quarterback room.
Minnesota will have to cut its preseason roster down to 80 players by Tuesday, August 23. Whether Mond or Mannion will be among the cuts remains to be seen.
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Vikings Trade for Raiders Gunslinger, Open Competition at QB: Report