Mullens played two of the Vikings' 71 offensive snaps in Sunday's 30-27 overtime win over the Bears, completing his lone pass attempt for a 14-yard gain. For the first time since Week 5, Mullens was summoned from the bench to replace Sam Darnold, who walked off the field slowly after taking a hit on an incomplete pass on 2nd-and-13 with 6:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mullens came in on third down and found an open Aaron Jones in the middle of the field to extend the drive, then handed the ball off to Jones on the next play before Darnold was cleared to return to the game. Darnold was able to finish out the game and doesn't appear on the Vikings' Week 13 injury report, so Mullens looks poised to remain in a backup role moving forward. He may not be the top choice if Darnold were to miss time with an injury later on this season, however, as the Vikings signed Daniel Jones to their practice squad Wednesday and presumably view him as an upgrade over Mullens for the No. 2 role.
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Mullens played two of the Vikings' 71 offensive snaps in Sunday's 30-27 overtime win over the Bears, completing his lone pass attempt for a 14-yard gain. For the first time since Week 5, Mullens was summoned from the bench to replace Sam Darnold, who walked off the field slowly after taking a hit on an incomplete pass on 2nd-and-13 with 6:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mullens came in on third down and found an open Aaron Jones in the middle of the field to extend the drive, then handed the ball off to Jones on the next play before Darnold was cleared to return to the game. Darnold was able to finish out the game and doesn't appear on the Vikings' Week 13 injury report, so Mullens looks poised to remain in a backup role moving forward. He may not be the top choice if Darnold were to miss time with an injury later on this season, however, as the Vikings signed Daniel Jones to their practice squad Wednesday and presumably view him as an upgrade over Mullens for the No. 2 role.
Mullens is active for Sunday's game against the Texans. For the third week in a row to open the season, Mullens will suit up as the No. 2 quarterback ahead of Brett Rypien, who is inactive as an emergency third option. With rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy (knee) lost for the season, Mullens should continue to dress as the top backup to starter Sam Darnold throughout the 2024 campaign.
Mullens completed 11 of 21 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 27-12 preseason win over the Browns. None of the Vikings' starters were on the field Saturday, and even some key reserves like Ty Chandler sat out, but Mullens still put together a decent line while playing with backups for the entire first half. With rookie J.J. McCarthy (knee) out for the season, Mullens will provide Minnesota with an experienced backup to Sam Darnold at quarterback -- and Darnold's track record at least offers the possibility that he will play his way out of another starting job, opening the door for Mullens to take over the offense.
Mullens will start Saturday's preseason game at Cleveland, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He's set to become the backup quarterback to starter Sam Darnold with J.J. McCarthy out for the season with a knee injury. Jaren Hall will win the third quarterback role as a result as well. Mullens was mediocre in five games (three starts) after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending injury last year, averaging 8.8 YPA but throwing eight interceptions. Still, he's a veteran who can fill in and have a strong game or two with his aggressive style if Darnold is injured.
Mullens looks set to work as the top backup to Sam Darnold, who is slated to ink a one-year deal with Minnesota, while Kirk Cousins is primed to move on to Atlanta, Christian Gonzales of NFL.com reports. Mullens and 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall are currently the Vikings' only options at quarterback behind Darnold, though the team could further bolster the position in free agency or the 2024 NFL Draft. Now heading into the final year of his contact, and having spent the last two seasons as a backup for Minnesota, Mullens could be cut with only $375,000 in dead money, but the team may see value in a veteran already familiar with the present offensive scheme. The Vikings hold the No. 11 pick in April's draft and could be a candidate to select a quarterback there, or to move up the board.
Mullens will have a 21-day window to practice with the team before needing to be added to the active roster if he is designated to return. However, O'Connell is not certain they'll open that window this week. Either way, Joshua Dobbs will likely get the start in Week 10 against the Saints, even if the Southern Miss product is activated ahead of time.