The Minnesota Vikings had a big decision to make this NFL offseason, whether or not to keep Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback or figure out who to replace him with. They eventually decided that Kirk is their guy, for now, signing him to a contract extension. On Tuesday, they went ahead and did the same thing for his backup, re-signing quarterback Sean Mannion on a one-year deal.
The #Vikings are re-signing backup QB Sean Mannion to a one-year deal, per source.
So starting QB Kirk Cousins stays for 2022 and now so does Mannion, whom Cousins values.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 22, 2022
Given all the changes the franchise has seen this offseason, starting with the firing of both their general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer and hiring of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell, it’s surprising that the one place they’ll find stability is in the quarterback position.
While Cousins was and will remain the starter, Mannion did start one game last season when Cousins tested positive for COVID-19, going 22-of-36 for 189 yards and a touchdown in a Week 16 loss to the Packers. This was after he didn’t play at all in 2020 and made just one start in 2019.
The former Oregon State QB has been with the Vikings since 2019 but he played for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams before that. In his seven-year NFL career, he has 571 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Mannion’s greatest value to the Vikings may be that he and Cousins are very close, and the team clearly wants to give Kirk every chance he can to prove he’s the long-term answer for them. Having a familiar face around to support him is going to help with that.
The Vikings do have other quarterbacks on the roster as well, including 2021 third-round pick Kellen Mond and 2020 seventh-round pick Nate Stanley. It stands to reason that at least one of them won’t still be on the roster by the time the 2022 NFL season begins.
