Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff Writer December 28, 2023, 1:43 p.m. ET
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- Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL for ESPN. Kevin has been covering the NFL for over 20 years and joined ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and The Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. You can follow him on Twitter @SeifertESPN.
EAGAN, Minn. – The quarterback carousel is turning again for the Minnesota Vikings.
Rookie Jaren Hall will start Sunday night's game against the Green Bay Packers, coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed Thursday. This marks the team's fourth starter change since Kirk Cousins, who tore his right Achilles tendon in Week 8.
Hall will replace Nick Mullens, who went 0-2 with 714 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions in a wild two-game stint as Minnesota's starter. The losses have pushed the Vikings to the brink of the NFC playoffs, and according to ESPN's Football Power Index, they now have a 19 percent chance of securing a spot in the postseason.
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Hall, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, was Cousins' backup at the time of his season-ending injury. Hall made one start, in Week 9 at the Atlanta Falcons, but exited after suffering a concussion in the first quarter.
Joshua Dobbs, acquired from the Arizona Cardinals after Cousins' injury, replaced Hall and started the Vikings' next four games before leaving Mullens, who had started the season as the Vikings' No. 2 quarterback, to take over but suffered a back injury in October. Speaking earlier this week before the decision was made, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson expressed confidence in Hall's development since his first start.
“I feel like he’s done a great job of both learning and the process of being a freshman and taking on this role,” Jefferson said. “It was definitely a tough year, just because of the injuries. … I think Jaren is definitely a great quarterback. He definitely has the potential to boost this offense if we use him to play, but we will have confidence in whoever.”
The Vikings were encouraged by Hall's performance in his brief appearance against the Falcons, in which he completed five of six passes for 78 yards and passed twice for 11 yards. But O'Connell's decision was largely due to the numerous turnovers Mullens and Dobbs committed during their tenures.
Dobbs had five passes intercepted and lost three fumbles in five games. Mullens fumbled twice in two plays, both recovered by the Vikings, and a seventh interception was reversed by a penalty. A possible eighth interception was dropped.