The Minnesota Vikings are making yet another change at quarterback. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced this week that Nick Mullens will take over for Joshua Dobbs as the team's starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. Mullens, who entered the season as Minnesota's No. 2 QB, will be the fourth starter under center in a seven-game stretch for the Vikings amid a playoff race.
The journeyman QB was on injured reserve with a back injury when starter Kirk Cousins ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Week 8, forcing rookie Jaren Hall to start the next game. A concussion quickly forced Hall off the field, so a recently acquired Dobbs got four starts over the next month. Mullens was activated in Week 11 and relieved Dobbs in a 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week. After entering the game in the fourth quarter, he finished 9-of-13 passing for 83 yards and led Minnesota on its only scoring drive of the game.
"We've made the decision to start Nick Mullens this week," O'Connell said. "Thought he came into the game [last Sunday] and really demonstrated his ability to prepare and be ready to go in and play in rhythm. Was accurate with the ball, made great decisions."
The Vikings are 7-6 heading into Saturday's game against the Bengals (also 7-6), which will air at 1 p.m. ET on the NFL Network. Minnesota currently sits in the second NFC Wild Card spot.
Ahead of kickoff, here are five things to know about yet another Vikings starting quarterback.
Mullens NFL Starting Experience and Stats
The last few years have included plenty of scenery changes for Mullens. The undrafted free agent signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie in 2017 and stayed in the Bay Area through the 2020 season. Since then, the 28-year-old has had stints, many of them brief, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, and Las Vegas Raiders before the silver and black traded him to the Vikings in 2022.
Saturday will mark Mullens' first start in a Minnesota uniform. And he's looking to build off of his short stint on the field last weekend, and perhaps put a few more points on the board this time around. "You never know when your name is going to be called, but you prepare and work as hard as you can and trust that there's a plan out there for you," Mullens said after beating the Raiders. "I did that, stepped in. The guys did an incredible job....It doesn't matter what it looks like, a win is a win."
Mullens has started 17 games over his NFL career, going 5-12. All but one of those starts came with the 49ers, starting eight contests each in 2018 and 2020. Most memorably, Mullens became only the third quarterback in league history—joining Hall of Famers Fran Tarkenton and Jim Kelly—with 250+ passing yards, 3+ passing touchdowns, and no interceptions in their NFL debut since 1950.
Overall, Mullens has appeared in 25 NFL games, completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 5,168 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions.
Familiar with Former Iowa Tight Ends
Mullens helped George Kittle set the then-record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season during the 2018 campaign in San Francisco. And, lucky for the QB, another former Hawkeye from what some consider "Tight End U" will be a top target for him in Minnesota.
T.J. Hockenson leads the Vikings in receptions (85) and receiving yards (839) this season while ranking second in touchdown catches (5). The two-time Pro Bowler believes in his new QB. "He's been in this league for a long time and has done a lot of things in this league," Hockenson said this week. "...Getting some confidence, getting some momentum rolling through the last couple of drives to be able to go down and score at least three points and end the game, so that was big for Nick and big for the team."
Mullens NFL Contract with Vikings
Mullens is in the first season of a new two-year, $4 million contract that he signed with the Vikings earlier this year. The deal includes a $750,000 signing bonus and $1.92 million guaranteed while carrying a 2023 cap hit of $1.725 million, according to Spotrac. The QB earns an additional $7,500 for each game in which he is active.
From a Baseball Family
Minnesota's newest starting quarterback has made a name for himself on the gridiron, though he comes from a family that excelled on the baseball diamond. Mullens' grandfather, Ernie Tabor, pitched in the Philadelphia Phillies minor-league system in the 1950s, according to the Vikings website. And his uncle, Scott Tabor, still holds the Arkansas Razorbacks college record for most career wins on the mound, a mark he set before moving on to a professional baseball career.
Former Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year
Mullens, who is from Hoover, Alabama, comes from a football state. And during his time playing high school ball, he was among the best the area had to offer. The former Spain Park prep was named Gatorade Alabama Football Player
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