Report: Kellen Mond Reportedly Cut by Vikings; QB Was 3rd-Round Draft Pick in 2021

The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly releasing quarterback Kellen Mond prior to Tuesday’s deadline for NFL teams to cut their rosters down to 53 players.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Mond will be placed on waivers, meaning the other 31 NFL teams will have an opportunity to place a claim if they so choose.

Mond was the 66th overall pick in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Texas A&M, but he became expendable when the Vikings acquired quarterback Nick Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders for a conditional 2024 seventh-round draft pick last week.

As a rookie, Mond served as the Vikings’ third-string quarterback behind Kirk Cousins and Sean Mannion. He appeared in only one game, completing two of his three passing attempts for five yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

During the preseason, Mond was initially competing with only Mannion for the right to be Cousins’ primary backup, but things became muddled when Minnesota acquired Mullens.

The decision to trade for Mullens may have been born from Mond’s up-and-down play during the preseason, as he completed just 56.9 percent of his passes for 303 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in three games.

Mannion also failed to impress during the preseason, completing 62.8 percent of his passing attempts for 265 yards with no touchdowns or picks.

When Minnesota selected Mond on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL draft, it did so with the hope that his diverse skill set could one day make him the heir apparent to Cousins.

Mond accrued extensive starting experience during his four seasons at Texas A&M and racked up a total of 9,661 passing yards with 71 touchdowns and 27 interceptions plus 1,609 yards and 22 scores on the ground.

Accuracy was often an issue, as he completed just 59.0 percent of his passes during his college career, but his dual-threat nature made him a constant threat, plus he threw just three picks as a senior in 2020.

More than anything, Mond may have been the victim of a regime change in Minnesota, as head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman were replaced by Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, respectively, following the 2021 season.

Neither O’Connell nor Adofo-Mensah had any ties to Mond, meaning they had no qualms about cutting him and creating the narrative that he was a “wasted” third-round pick.

O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah are molding the team in their own vision, and it is clear that they felt more comfortable with a veteran presence at quarterback behind Cousins.