Minnesota Vikings expected to reunite with an old friend

After he was released by the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, quarterback Sean Mannion is reportedly expected to return to the Minnesota Vikings.

When Mike Zimmer was asked on Wednesday if he was comfortable with rookie Kellen Mond being the No. 2 quarterback this season, the Minnesota Vikings head coach responded with an unconvincing, “um, right now. We’ll see what happens in the next few days.”

Well, in the next few days is when the Vikings will likely have another quarterback on their active roster, and it sounds like it’s going to be someone who has suited up for them in the recent past.

According to the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson on Wednesday, Minnesota is expected to bring back former signal-caller Sean Mannion, who spent this summer with the Seattle Seahawks.

Sean Mannion expected to return to the Minnesota Vikings

After beating out Kyle Sloter for the backup job in 2019, Mannion spent the last two seasons with the Vikings. He didn’t appear in a game in 2020, and during his lone start in 2019, he finished with a 35.1 passer rating.

It was pretty obvious during his tenure with Minnesota that he wasn’t kept around for his skills on the field. The Vikings viewed Mannion as somewhat of another assistant coach for Cousins to utilize during games.

Mannion has been in the NFL since 2015, so he’s clearly doing something right to remain in the league for as long as he has.

While bringing him back would give Minnesota some additional experience in their quarterback room that is currently needed, the team should still be concerned if he is ever needed to fill in for Cousins for more than a few plays.

If Cousins had to miss a game or more in 2021, it’s possible that the Vikings would still have Kellen Mond be the guy to fill in as the starter under center instead of Mannion. Utilizing Mannion’s experience to help Mond would likely be a better option than having Mannion (who has never thrown a touchdown pass in his NFL career) actually play out on the field.

It’s not a flashy addition, but Minnesota bringing back their No. 2 quarterback from the last two seasons could prove to be a smart decision this year.

The Vikings are currently favored in their regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Head over to WynnBET to place your bet.