Sean Mannion was the backup quarterback for the Vikings in 2019 and 2020. This year, Minnesota did not re-sign him at first, and elected to try out other options this offseason instead.
However, the team welcomed Mannion back this week, signing him to the practice squad. Mannion has not thrown a touchdown pass in a regular season game during his NFL career. The move to re-sign him was certainly met with derision by a part of the Vikings fan base.
But how Minnesota thinks about Mannion is pretty clear at this point. Here is what Vikings OC Klint Kubiak said about the veteran quarterback:
“Mentally, there’s very few guys I’ve been around as bright as him,” Kubiak said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “The way he sees the game, the way he communicates with the coaches, he’s an extra coach on the field on top of being a heck of a player.”
Here’s the thing: some Vikings fans may not like it, but this move makes sense. Mannion isn’t taking up a spot on the active roster right now, and the team values him quite a bit.
If you prefer a quarterback who could add something if they develop down the road, then you’re in luck: the team has 2021 third-round pick Kellen Mond on the roster. Sure, Mond isn’t a starting-caliber quarterback right now, if the preseason is any indication, but the Vikings have done a good job of making the quarterback room solid — with a clear starter in Kirk Cousins, an enticing backup in Mond and a savvy veteran in Mannion.
