Vikings solidify Mike Zimmer’s words by waiving Kellen Mond

The Minnesota Vikings waived quarterback Kellen Mond on Tuesday, solidifying the words of former head coach Mike Zimmer.

Kellen Mond’s tenure with the Minnesota Vikings is over, for now. The team waived the second-year player on Tuesday as the Vikings formed their 53-man roster for the 2022 season. In addition to Mond, the team released quarterback Sean Mannion, leaving Kirk Cousins and the newly acquired Nick Mullens as the only signal callers in Minnesota.

But the writing for Mond may have been on the wall since he arrived in Minnesota, especially when Cousins was out with COVID-19 before a Week 17 matchup against the Green Bay Packers last season. Instead of former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer electing to start Mond under center against the Packers, Mannion took the reigns.

When asked about why Zimmer didn’t want to take a look at Mond, he unleashed the infamous “I see him every day,” quote.

Why the Minnesota Vikings waiving Kellen Mond solidifies Mike Zimmer’s words

It appears now that Zimmer knew what the Vikings had in the former Texas A&M Aggie, and while Mannion didn’t show a glimpse of greatness compared to Mond this preseason, Zimmer felt the established backup would be better off against Green Bay last season compared to the upside of a younger Mond.

Conversely, Zimmer may have already seen his own writing on the wall and didn’t want the organization to have a chance to see what the young quarterback could do with a full game against the NFC North rival.

Regardless, Minnesota’s new regime of head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah shared the same sentiment when making the move to let Mond go.

Mannion is rumored to have a spot on the Vikings practice squad, but Mond’s future for Minnesota or in the NFL remains a mystery. At 23-years-old, it’s likely a team will at least work Mond out with a practice squad or regular roster spot in mind. But for Zimmer and the Vikings, he can’t say he didn’t tell everyone so in that very press conference.