Fate can be so cruel.

In the NFL, which as the old cliché reminds us can also stand for “not for long,” success is fleeting, and fortunes of players or even entire franchises can change in the blink of an eye. Or in this case, the snap of a tendon.

The Minnesota Vikings must feel like they’ve already played two full seasons. Between the endless tumult of the offseason, cutting loose long-time veterans and fighting an ever-tightening salary cap situation, to entering the season without new contracts for star WR Justin Jefferson and starting QB Kirk Cousins, to trying to explain away that embarrassing home playoff loss following a 13-4 regular season, the Vikings had no shortage of storylines, most of them less than desirable, heading into the 2023 regular season.

Then they entered that regular season completely sideways, dropping an entirely winnable opener at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and followed that up with turnover-laden losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers. They soon found themselves 1-4, fielding uncomfortable questions about potentially trading away assets and which QB they’d be drafting with their top-10 draft pick in 2024.

Then came a division win on the road against the Chicago Bears, and a gritty, hard-fought Monday night victory at home against the San Francisco 49ers, a game described by many as the greatest game of Kirk Cousins’ career, and a win that got the Vikings back into the NFC conversation despite not having Jefferson (on short-term IR with a hamstring injury) for either game.

Then in the 4th quarter of yesterday’s game at the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings were putting the finishing touches on another division victory on the road, leading by two touchdowns in a game that never really felt in question. Cousins was again excellent, throwing TD passes to star tight end T.J. Hockenson and WR Jordan Addison, an early favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year after recording his 7th touchdown in his first eight games.

Then with 10:30 remaining, Cousins dropped back to pass on a 3rd & 19 from the Green Bay 22.

He went to plant his right foot to step up in the pocket, at which point his foot gave out. It was the kind of dreaded non-contact injury we’ve seen so many times, one where we always fear the worst, and almost inevitably have those fears confirmed. After going down in a heap, he hopped his way to the Vikings’ sideline, unable to put any weight at all on his right foot.

MRI results on Monday confirmed what we all sadly already knew: a torn achilles tendon that would end Cousins’ season, and leave the suddenly resurgent Vikings with a gaping hole at the most critical position as the season heads into its second half.

No more had the Vikings gotten their season back on track before losing their starting QB who was arguably playing the best football of his 12-year career. An iron-man QB who has been so badly beaten up by suspect-at-best offensive line play over the past few seasons went down in a non-contact injury behind an O-line that has been playing like one of the top lines in the league for almost a month.

Fate can be cruel indeed, and as Morpheus in “The Matrix” once said, it is also not without a sense of irony.

Now the question becomes, “What do the Vikings do at QB?” They’ve salvaged their season with a three-game winning streak that’s brought their record to 4-4, good for the 7th and final NFC playoff position as of this moment. The Vikings’ QB situation was already in flux with Cousins playing this season in the final year of his contract, but it’s become even more of a conundrum with Cousins’ injury.

How the Vikings handle this will go a long way in determining the team’s direction for the rest of this year and potentially beyond. Let’s explore some options.

IN-HOUSE:

Hall is a rookie, drafted in the 5th round out of BYU, and replaced Cousins after the injury. He flashed enough in the preseason to secure a roster spot and has been viewed as a potential longer-term project QB that could ultimately replace Cousins. He didn’t do much upon entering the game, and in fact lost a fumble inside the Vikings 20-yard line that could have changed the game. To be fair, no one could have expected much out of Hall under the circumstances, and he’ll have a chance to prove his merit this coming weekend at the Atlanta Falcons, a game he will almost certainly start no matter what the Vikings do or don’t do this week to add to the QB room.

Mullens was the Vikings primary backup QB until a back injury landed him on short-term IR. Mullens has proven to be a capable NFL QB over 5 years with the Vikings, 49ers, and Cleveland Browns. His 5-12 career record as a starter isn’t a ringing endorsement, but he was the Vikings’ primary backup for a reason. He is eligible to return from the IR for the week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints.

Mannion has spent parts of the past few seasons with the Vikings following a four-year run as a backup with the Los Angeles Rams. He is currently on the Vikings’ practice squad, and has been incredibly unimpressive in his few on-field opportunities with Minnesota.

FREE AGENTS:

McCoy has a bit of history with Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell, having worked with him for three seasons in Washington. A career backup who was released by the Arizona Cardinals prior to the 2023 season, he has managed just 34 touchdowns against 32 interceptions in 55 career games, 36 of them starts. He’s 37 years old, and even with his loose connection to O’Connell’s offense, it seems his playing days may be behind him.

Wentz is a poster child for “what might have been.” In the running for league MVP in 2017 before a week 13 injury sidelined him for the rest of the season, clearing the way for his backup to take the reigns and bring the Philadelphia Eagles their first Super Bowl, Wentz now finds himself unemployed, having never regained the magic of his 2017 campaign. He went 2-5 as a starter for Washington in 2022 before being released. At age 30, the ship might have sailed on his career as an NFL starter.

Foles ‘was’ that backup for Carson Wentz that went on to win Super Bowl LII for the Eagles. That good will quickly evaporated however, and after playing for his 4th team in five years in 2022, the 34-year-old finds himself without an NFL gig in 2023.

Ryan looked completely washed in 2022 for the Indianapolis Colts, managing his second-worst passer rating and the lowest QBR of his borderline hall-of-fame career. He’s currently working for CBS Sports as a studio and game analyst and has not ruled out a return to the field. But at age 38 and almost a calendar year removed from playing a competitive NFL snap, it may be best for all involved if he continues down his new career path.

Newton had a great run in the 2010’s with the Carolina Panthers before a shoulder injury robbed him of almost all his arm strength. He had a bit of a renaissance in 2020 with the New England Patriots, but returned to Carolina in 2021 and went 0-5 as a starter. He’s been out of the league ever since, and at age 35 is unlikely to recapture any of his former glory.

I mean, why not? At least make the call.

And I just wanted to write his name in a column one more time. It’s a part of my football-loving life I’m going to have a hard time cutting loose.

TRADE TARGETS:

Tennessee has been so impressed by Tannehill’s play the past two seasons that they’ve drafted higher-end QB prospects in each of the last two drafts in Malik Willis (86th overall) and Will Levis (33rd overall). Levis burst onto the season last weekend with four touchdown passes in his first start, a win against a tough Atlanta Falcons team. Tannehill has struggled mightily in six starts this season, posting the lowest touchdown percentage and highest interception percentage of his career.

Keenum, the QB behind the 2017 “Minneapolis Miracle” pass to Stefon Diggs with no time left to beat the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, finds himself as a third-string quarterback on a team that looks like it hit the jackpot by drafting C.J. Stroud. He’s played for four teams in five years since the “Miracle,” and it’s all but certain his best days are behind him.

Mills showed some promise as a rookie in 2021 for a putrid Texans team, but regressed significantly in 2022 which led the team to draft C.J. Stroud second overall in the 2023 draft. He’s still only 25 and will almost certainly get another chance to start in the NFL, but his massive step back in 2022 will be fresh on any potential suitor’s mind.

The Cardinals would love nothing more than to get out from under the $230 million contract they gave Murray in 2022. Yes, the “independent study” clause that became a firestorm for Murray and the Cardinals has long since been eliminated, but the fact that the team felt it necessary to include in the first place is reason enough to at the very least raise concern. The Vikings are among the most salary cap-strapped teams in the league, making any potential trade for Murray all but impossible.

Dalton had a nice run with the Cincinnati Bengals throughout the 2010’s and currently finds himself as the backup in Carolina, his 5th different team in the last five years. He’s found his way into fairly significant playing time at each stop however, and has continued to remain productive into his now age-36 season. As recently as week three of this season he threw for 361 yards on 58 attempts with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Carolina drafted their QB of the future in Bryce Young, so Dalton could be made available ahead of the October 31st trade deadline.

J.D. Day

Not Great for Number 8

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