EDEN PRAIRIE, MN – MAY 3: Helmets belonging to the Minnesota Vikings are seen during a rookie minicamp on May 3, 2012 at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings made a quarterback trade this morning. But it wasn’t for any of the ones you might be thinking of.
On Monday, the Vikings acquired veteran quarterback Nick Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders received a conditional seventh-round pick in 2024 from the exchange.
Mullens played for the Cleveland Browns last year. He appeared in and started a Week 15 tilt against the Raiders, completing 20 of 30 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown in a 16-14 loss.
The trade gives the Minnesota Vikings a new backup behind Kirk Cousins. Longtime backup Sean Mannion is at risk of losing his roster spot.
For NFL fans, the trade is more amusing than anything else. Some have found it particularly ironic that Mullens has now been traded more this offseason than former teammate Jimmy Garoppolo:
Nick Mullens went undrafted in 2017 and made his NFL debut with the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 after Garoppolo got hurt. He demonstrated solid if unremarkable skills in the 49ers offense, going 3-5 as a starter that year while completing 64.2-percent of his passes for 2,277 yards and 13 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
After getting just seven snaps in 2019, Mullens was thrust back into extended action again in 2020 when Garoppolo suffered another season-ending injury. He completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,437 yards and 12 touchdowns with 12 interceptions while going 2-6 that year.
Mullens probably isn’t a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. But he can be an okay placeholder for a team that needs one.
Will Nick Mullens make the Vikings’ final 53-man roster?
.