The Minnesota Vikings are a quarterback heavy after a busy offseason, which could equal a recipe for a late-summer trade.
Minnesota signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract, presumably as a bridge to the eventual long-term starter and 10th overall pick in the NFL draft, J.J. McCarthy.
The Vikings also spent a fifth-round selection on Jaren Hall in 2023, who started two games for the franchise during a tumultuous campaign at the position last season.
Unless the Vikings are ready to bail on Hall as a developmental prospect or stash him on the practice squad, the circumstances in Minnesota render backup Nick Mullens a potentially valuable trade chip for the franchise as the regular season nears.
For instance, the Arizona Cardinals sent the Cleveland Browns a fifth-round pick for Josh Dobbs and a seventh-rounder last summer.
Minnesota acquired Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders for a conditional seventh-round selection in the summer of 2022 and could now be in position to get some draft capital back for the gunslinger two years later, as he enters the final year of his $4 million deal.
Untimely turnovers and narrow losses defined Mullens’ stretch as the Vikings’ top guy late last season, but statistics should render him a valuable commodity if Minnesota decides shopping him is the right move.
All told, Mullens has a completion percentage of 65.8% for 6,391 passing yards, 34 TDs and 31 INTs over his six-year NFL career.
He has played in 29 games, making 20 starts and amassing a record of 5-15.
The logic behind trading Mullens is that the Vikings could probably get a meaningful Day-3 pick in return in the right situation.
But if Darnold should find himself injured and/or benched before the Vikings deem McCarthy ready to start, Minnesota would be forced to turn to Hall as the starter should the organization part with Mullens via trade.
Mullens is a safer bet in a 2024 season for the Vikings that, much like last year, can accurately be described as a competitive rebuild.
For that reason, Minnesota may want to hold onto Mullens, at least until McCarthy has proven himself ready by team standards — at which point Mullens’ services may be superfluous, assuming Darnold is healthy and Hall remains a viable third option.
