Brett Rypien had glowing comments for the Chicago Bears upon his exit from the organization, begging the question of why he chose to play for the rival Minnesota Vikings instead.
The answer is as plain and simple as one gets in the modern NFL — a roster spot.
HBO’s “Hard Knocks” just wrapped its most recent installment, during which the program followed the Bears through the preseason process. Chicago released Rypien as part of its final cuts to trim the roster to 53 players.
In the aftermath, producers of the show accompanied Rypien to the airport where he would board a plane to fly him to Minneapolis, home of the Vikings. Rypien accepted an offer to join the Bears’ NFC North Division rival shortly after Chicago handed him his walking papers.
The quarterback shared a few parting thoughts about the organization on camera, which have been well-received in the Windy City.
“This team is gonna do special things this year,” Rypien said. “There’s a lot of special people in that building.”
Considering how Rypien feels about the Bears, his decision to leave read a little bit curiously. Yes, Chicago cut him. However, Rypien had the opportunity to return to the team as a member of the practice squad.
He told “Hard Knocks” that his choice to go to Minnesota boiled down to the fact that the Vikings were offering him a spot on their 53-man roster, while Chicago would only make room for him on the practice squad.
Brett Rypien Could Play for Vikings This Season if Things Break Right
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams (left) of the Chicago Bears talks with former teammate Brett Rypien (right) during minicamp.
Rypien is now the third-string quarterback for the Vikings, who are carrying three active QBs on their roster compared to the Bears who are carrying just two — starter Caleb Williams and backup Tyson Bagent.
Rypien will play behind starter Sam Darnold and backup Nick Mullens to start the year in Minnesota. And while those two players have considerably more experience in the NFL — not to mention as starters, than does the combination of Williams and Bagent — there is little question that Rypien has a better chance to get on the field in Minneapolis than he would have in Chicago.
Darnold is probably getting his last chance to establish himself as a starter in the league after six seasons of up-and-down play (mostly down) with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, plus last year as the backup to Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers.
Meanwhile, Mullens is solidified as a career backup QB at this point. He showed the ability to push the ball downfield and score some points with the Vikings offense in three starts last season, though finished the campaign at 0-3. For his career, Mullens is 5-15.
Austin Reed on Bears Practice Squad as Third-String QB
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Austin Reed.
With Rypien out, Chicago was free to sign rookie QB Austin Reed to its practice squad, which the team promptly did.
Reed, like Bagent the year before him, came to the Bears as an undrafted free agent and spent the entirety of the preseason working with the team.
He will now essentially function as the third-string QB, though will presumably elevate to the active roster if Williams and/or Bagent is sidelined for whatever reason.
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QB Brett Rypien Reveals Why He Chose Vikings Over Bears