This hasn’t exactly been the most ideal NFL journey for Minnesota Vikings backup quarterback Kellen Mond, who was plopped right into a dysfunctional situation with a general manager that allegedly stopped talking and a head coach that might not have even wanted him.
Trevor Lawrence surviving Jacksonville is the only reason Mond isn’t the top candidate for the most adversity faced as a rookie in 2021. If we’re ranking this storm, I’m talking Category 5 levels of problems, which is saying a lot considering he never even started a game.
Former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer had multiple opportunities to get the No. 66 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft on the field—the Week 17 matchup at Green Bay, when starter Kirk Cousins tested positive for COVID-19, and the Week 18 season finale against the Chicago Bears, when any hope of a playoff appearance had already swirled and disappeared down the toilet.
Instead, Zimmer trotted out Sean Mannion, a journeyman backup, to get pounded like a drum at Lambeau Field against the No. 1-seeded Packers. He then played all of his starters, including Cousins, to pound his chest one last time against the Bears.
Meanwhile, Mond watched from afar as meaningful reps in real games were taken by other quarterbacks.
“Not particularly,” Zimmer responded when asked if he wanted to get a look at Mond on the field in the season finale.
“I see him every day,” Zimmer added with a blank expression on his face, when met with a follow-up question.
"Do you want to see Kellen Mond next week?"
"Not particularly."
Mike Zimmer is stone cold pic.twitter.com/KI1usresi7
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 3, 2022
Cold. Absolutely “stone cold.”
But the twists and turns in “The Young and the Mond-less” continued with both general manager Rick Spielman and Zimmer being fired. The 22-year-old quarterback listened to all of the hooting and hollering over the arrivals of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell, knowing he might end up being the odd man out.
He’d probably never say it publicly because, you know, competition and stuff. The man is an athlete, and he’s going to work hard to earn his spot on the team.
But there’s also the reality that the new regime has no ties to him. Adofo-Mensah isn’t handcuffed to all of Spielman’s choices—nor should he be. And O’Connell is all in on Cousins to the point where the team is reportedly considering re-signing his best study buddy, Mannion.
Source said "definitely a chance" of backup QB Sean Mannion being re-signed by #Vikings with Kirk Cousins return assured. Mannion is very close to Cousins & helps him greatly in QB room. Mannion wasn't with O'Connell & Phillips on Rams but spent two years in Sean McVay's system.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 15, 2022
There’s a real possibility, assuming the Mannion deal goes through, that Mond could be a third-string quarterback for a second straight season.
This isn’t meant to be some pity party for Mond, who could very well show up in training camp and give O’Connell something to think about. At the end of the day, his play will ultimately decide where he ranks on the depth chart of Vikings quarterbacks. Spielman hoped he’d be better, and Zimmer wasn’t interested.
How will Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell feel?
