The Minnesota Vikings have decided to move on from the fan-favorite as they have reportedly decided to trade or release him before Saturday’s deadline.
If there has been a rite of passage over the past couple of summers, it has been Kyle Sloter destroying third-string defenses for the Minnesota Vikings.
With a preseason career that has led Minnesota to numerous exhibition victories, many fans wanted Sloter to get a shot at the backup quarterback position coming into training camp. That just wasn’t in the cards, however, as the Vikings seemed to be enamored with veteran Sean Mannion as their backup.
As a result, Sloter’s spot on the roster seemed to be in doubt and the Vikings have decided to use that roster spot somewhere other than a third quarterback as the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson reports that the Vikings will try to trade or release him before Saturday’s roster deadline.
The news of Minnesota moving on from Sloter has to be a punch in the gut for his dedicated fan base. The Northern Colorado product had put together a strong preseason for the third straight year, completing 39-of-51 passes (76.5 percent) for 443 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.
Aside from his statistical performance, Sloter just seemed to breathe more life into the Vikings’ offense than Mannion did. With a more exciting style of play, Minnesota moved the ball downfield in a more exciting fashion, which led to fans just asking for Sloter to get a chance against better competition.
Instead, head coach Mike Zimmer was steady in his support of Mannion thanks to his experience (four years in the NFL, but one start) and better habits in practice. While those comments frustrated Vikings fans, the news of Sloter’s departure may bring that to another level.
Regardless, the backup quarterback position may not matter if Kirk Cousins does his job this season.
After a disappointing season outside of his stats, Cousins is the quarterback of this team and the Vikings will only need to turn to Mannion should he go down due to injury. If that happens, this could be a decision that Viking fans revisit in the near future.