Vikings

Vikings Considering Benching Nick Mullens & Going With Jaren Hall

December 26, 2023

According to Mike Florio, the Vikings are considering benching QB Nick Mullens and going with fifth-round QB Jaren Hall to finish out the season.

Hall got the call in the first game after starting QB Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles but suffered a concussion. He was replaced by QB Joshua Dobbs, but Dobbs’ problems with turnovers caused HC Kevin O’Connell to turn to Mullens once he was healthy.

Following four interceptions by Mullens in this past week’s loss to the Lions, O’Connell seems to be going back to Hall.

Hall, 25, was a two-year starter at BYU. The Vikings drafted him in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

He signed a four-year, $4.12 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $279,272.

During his four-year college career, Hall appeared in 31 games with 24 starts. He completed 65.2 percent of his pass attempts for 6,174 yards, 52 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, adding 181 rush attempts for 798 yards and nine touchdowns.

In 2023, Hall has appeared in two games and completed eight of 10 pass attempts for 101 yards. He’s added four carries for 10 yards.

Mullens, 28, wound up signing on with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Miss back in 2017. He was waived coming out of the preseason and later added to their practice squad.

The 49ers brought Mullens back on a futures contract in 2018 only to release him at the start of the regular season. Mullens had a brief stint on their practice squad before being called up following Jimmy Garoppolo‘s season-ending knee injury.

Mullens re-signed as an exclusive rights free agent heading into 2020 but San Francisco declined to tender him as a restricted free agent. The Eagles signed him to a contract before releasing him and he eventually caught on with the Browns.

Mullens signed with the Raiders as a backup to QB Derek Carr but was traded to the Vikings for a 2024 seventh-round pick. Minnesota re-signed him to a contract last offseason.

In 2023, Mullens has appeared in three games for the Vikings and completed 57-82 pass attempts (69.5 completion percentage) for 797 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions.