Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond offered his side of the franchise’s fractured 2021 season that saw Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman fired in a recent LinkedIn post.
A 2021 third-round pick, Mond revealed that Zimmer never spoke to him in the nine months before his firing, a symptom of the Vikings organization’s disconnection in the final days of the previous regime, whose rift started with the decision to sign Kirk Cousins.
“When I was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, my head coach walked out of the draft room. We never spoke. Not once,” adding that Spielman and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak wanted him.
While most of Mond’s message was directed at Zimmer’s complete lack of investment in the quarterback room, Mond’s overarching message was about the Vikings organization as a whole.
Kellen Mond Calls Out Lesson From Vikings’ Fractured Leadership After Ironic Turn of Events Led to Firing
GettyFormer Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.
In 2021, the Vikings were eliminated in the penultimate game of the season when Cousins was rseasonsut due to COVID-19. Zimmer had urged his team for two seaons to get vaccinated, although Cousins did not heed his coach’s advice.
Zimmer started veteran Sean Mannion over Mond, in a decision that did not prove fruitful. Mannion and the Vikings offense mustered just 206 total yards in a 37-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers that saw Mond play a series in the fourth quarter of the blowout loss.
The writing was on the wall after the game. The Vikings were bound for a meaningless season finale where Spielman and Zimmer shared the sidelines one more time before their firing.
Few words were likely shared.
“While I played for the Vikings, I never saw the General Manager and Head Coach speak. Imagine the two most important people in any organization never talking,” Mond wrote.
“What happens to that business? It crumbles. And that’s exactly what happened. The morning after our last game, we were told both the GM and head coach were fired. The GM addressed the team and thanked us for our hard work, effort and dedication. The head coach was nowhere to be found. His reasoning for not addressireferencingeam and players: ‘They got me fired,’ ” Mond added, rehasing a comment Zimmer told the Minnesota Star Tribune in 2024.
Mond usedVikings’omment as a microcosm to describe the failure of the Vikings leadership.
“That response told me everything I needed to know. And taught me an unforgettable leadership lesson: Every time you show up to work, you control the energy in the building. The way you act. The way you speak. Your body language. If you forget that enough times, don’t be surprised when you have a disconnect with others in your organization. Leadership is an atmosphere you create, not a title you hold,” Mond wrote.
Vikings Current Regime Reaching Fraying Point?
GettyMinnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (L) and head coach Kevin O’Connell address the media.
The Vikings brainstrust of Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should take the Zimmer-Spielman falling out as a cautionary tale.
Years of poor drafting have subjected Adofo-Mensah to criticism, while O’Connell’s quarterback development of J.J. McCarthy is under a microscope.
The two used to conduct their end-of-season news conference together, but have had separate sessions the past two years.
Whether this is a logistical decision or a matter of the two not wanting share the same space has become a question among analysts and fans.
Whatever friction there may be, winning solves all problems. And after missing the 2025 postseason, there will be pressure on the new regime.
Former NFL QB Calls Out Vikings, Mike Zimmer After Leadership Breakdown