Vikings Coach Mike Zimmer Gives Brutally Honest Answer on Rookie QB Kellen Mond

Zimmer didn't hold back when asked about Mond starting next week's game against the Bears.

Following a 37-10 loss to the Packers that eliminated the Vikings from playoff contention and may have signaled the end of the Mike Zimmer era, the team's eighth-year head coach gave a short, bizarre postgame press conference highlighted by one particularly harsh answer.

When asked if he wants to get a look at rookie QB Kellen Mond next week in the meaningless regular season finale against the Bears, Zimmer quickly said "not particularly."

Why not?

"I see him every day," Zimmer replied.

This is the coldest thing I’ve ever heard from a coach. My goodness. pic.twitter.com/0FaufxxoQw

— Ian Kenyon (@ikenyonFB) January 3, 2022

Ouch. That's a stunningly honest answer from an NFL head coach about one of his players, particularly a rookie QB who had just made his regular season debut.

With Kirk Cousins on the COVID list, Zimmer and the Vikings elected to start veteran backup Sean Mannion in their must-win game against the Packers on Sunday night. They did that despite the fact that Mannion had never previously started a meaningful regular season game or thrown a single touchdown pass, and had practiced just once since coming off the COVID list himself earlier this week. What makes that decision more interesting is that the player who was not chosen to start the game, Mond, was taken No. 66 overall last April and presumably has a greater chance of being part of the team's future than Mannion does.

Mannion struggled as expected at Lambeau Field, finishing 22 of 36 for 189 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings turned the ball over on downs on their first possession and then went three-and-out on four straight series, failing to score any points until Greg Joseph's long field goal at the end of the first half made it a 20-3 game.

Mond briefly came into the game in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't because Zimmer wanted him out there. Mannion was dealing with some cramping in his hand and was briefly unavailable. Mond went 2 for 3 for five yards, nearly throwing a pick-six to cap off yet another Vikings three-and-out.

Perhaps this is why Kellen Mond didn't start tonight's game pic.twitter.com/8KRGfiCzlA

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 3, 2022

In Mond's defense, coming into a game down 27 points in the fourth quarter isn't the ideal context for your first NFL snaps.

Mannion went back in for the following series, because, in Zimmer's words, "Mannion was the guy who was going to play today." Zimmer wouldn't say if Cousins would start next week or if Mannion would get another start. "We'll talk about next week next week," he said. Either way, it sure sounds like it won't be Mond getting the nod against the Bears.

There's a lot to unpack with the entire Mond situation. The third-round pick out of Texas A&M had been inactive all season, then saw his first NFL action on Sunday night only to have his coach essentially throw him under the bus after the game.

It says a lot about how the team feels about Mond that he wasn't able to beat out Mannion for the opportunity to start this game, then only came into a blowout because Mannion was injured.

Could it signal some discord between the coaching staff and front office? GM Rick Spielman is the one who made Mond the Vikings' first early-round draft pick at quarterback since Teddy Bridgewater in 2014. Zimmer not even wanting to play Mond next week against the Bears — in a game that should be about looking ahead to next season — is just plain weird. He clearly doesn't have any confidence in the rookie to even run the offense at a competent level.

Ultimately, both Zimmer and Spielman are on the hot seat after two consecutive seasons fell short of the playoffs. The Vikings also have a decision to make at quarterback, with Cousins set to have a $45 million cap hit next year in the final year of his contract. But if they do move on, Mond's apparent lack of development this season likely indicates that he's not going to be the answer at the sport's most important position.

It's all just strange. 

All we can do now is wait and see what happens next week against the Bears, whether Zimmer clarifies his comments on Mond or not, and who ends up losing their jobs, if anyone, this offseason.

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