Dan Powers-USA TODAY SportsCredit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports
In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Vikings’ snagged Jaren Hall in the 5th Round. Doing so signalled their desire to develop the young passer over several years, possibly to be the long-term QB2.
Fast forward a year(ish) and Hall has become the Vikings’ forgotten QB. Obviously, J.J. McCarthy is getting a ton of attention given that he was chosen with the No. 10 pick, the highest a quarterback has ever gone in Vikings history. And then free agency kicked over Sam Darnold, a 27-year-old passer whom some regard as a breakout candidate. Within all of this chatter, Jaren Hall is being somewhat overlooked. Should he be?
Jaren Hall, The Vikings’ Forgotten QB, Still Has a Role to Play
Listen to Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talk. The pair don’t make halfhearted decisions.
On the contrary, the pair of leaders talk a lot about collaboration and building consensus. There’s a robust process — one of their favorite words — in place, allowing them to act with conviction when it’s time to pull the trigger on a move. No doubt, they still make mistakes, but it’s not for lack of effort. Both work hard and both invest a lot into their decisions.
Dec 31, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterback Jaren Hall (16) look on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
The point, folks, is that moving on from Mr. Hall after just a single season would be quite odd given how O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah approach their jobs.
The plan for 2023 involved not needing Hall. Kirk Cousins never gets hurt, so he was going to again make it through 2023 unscathed. In the unlikely event that the top option needed time in the infirmary, then Nick Mullens would be ready to roll. Meanwhile, Jaren Hall could mature in a low-pressure environment.
Sounds good, right?
At Lambeau in Week 8, the Vikings were battling back from their 1-4 start, well on their way to bringing things up to 4-4. Cousins, though, tore his Achilles in a non-contact injury. Making matters even worse is that Mullens was already injured, so he wasn’t an option. Hall, the option who wasn’t supposed to be needed, got his first NFL reps trying to preserve the win in Green Bay.
Aug 26, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) reacts after a game against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
To Hall’s credit, the Vikings pulled off the victory. Even more wild is that O’Connell didn’t totally leave the training wheels on. Hall was tossing passes in his brief work. He finished his day having gone 3/4 for 23 yards. He did get sacked once and was involved in eleven plays overall.
In Week 9, Jaren Hall picked up the start in Atlanta. Initially, things were looking really good. He was 5/6 for 78 yards and had a pair of runs go for 11 yards. Unfortunately, he would need to leave the game with a concussion, ending his first NFL start just as it was beginning.
Otherwise, Hall’s time on an NFL field was the disastrous effort against the Packers in Week 17. The rookie only played a single half of football and was overwhelmed, finishing 5/10 for 67 yards and an interception. The game looked too fast for him. But, in fairness, the rookie QB3 was being entrusted to lead the Vikings in a must-win prime time game with the playoffs on the line. Any chance the kid was set to fail?
Dec 31, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall (16) under center against the Green Bay Packers in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Hall, 26, still has the chance to keep growing in Minnesota. He’s just getting ready to enter his sophomore season and, at the very least, could be an excellent backup. Like McCarthy, he’s a bit undersized and is a gifted athlete who is praised for his leadership and brains. The pair could be two peas in a pod, a great tandem to build around moving forward.
Minnesota has three more years of team control on Hall. In 2025, Hall’s cap hit is a minuscule $984,818. Minnesota won’t be too quick to give away that kind of value, especially since they’ve invested a pick in the QB who still has upside.
Look for Hall to stick around Minnesota as the QB3 in 2024 as he works toward developing into the long-term backup for the Vikings.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
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Publish date : 2024-07-18 09:15:00
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