Vikings waive Jaren Hall to sign veteran quarterback
The Minnesota Vikings made a surprising move in the quarterback room on Thursday morning, waiving Jaren Hall with the intent to sign veteran Brett Rypien per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
The release of Hall is shocking considering how much Hall progressed over the preseason. A fifth-round pick by the Vikings in the 2023 draft, Hall spent most of his rookie year as the third-string quarterback but was thrust into action for two starts in his rookie year.
Hall showed some promise in his first career start, completing 5-of-6 passes for 78 yards before he was knocked out with a concussion in a win over the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 5. Hall made another start against the Green Bay Packers on New Years Eve, but that start did not go as well, completing 5-of-10 passes with an interception before being benched at halftime.
The arrival of J.J. McCarthy put Hall on the roster bubble entering training camp but McCarthy’s season-ending knee injury gave him a chance to make the roster. Hall relieved McCarthy in the first preseason game, leading a game-winning drive against the Las Vegas Raiders and had a solid outing in the second preseason game, completing 4-of-5 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
But the biggest selling point for Hall came in the preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. Hall completed 17-of-25 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles and it felt like he had an inside track to make the roster. However, the Vikings must have seen things differently or a leg contusion suffered on the first drive of the second half may be more serious than originally thought, which led the Vikings to Rypien.
Vikings waive Jaren Hall to sign veteran quarterback
Rypien, who is the nephew of Super Bowl winning quarterback Mark Rypien, has four years of NFL experience and spent last year with the Los Angeles Rams, making one start and completing 18-of-38 passes for 172 yards and an interception in two games.
Over his career, the 27-year-old has played in 10 career games with four starts, completing 58.3 percent of his passes for 950 yards four touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The swap for Hall, who was a developmental project coming out of BYU, for a veteran like Rypien could signal what the Vikings want in their third quarterback. Minnesota already has two solid options in front of him including starter Sam Darnold and backup Nick Mullens and they could want a knowledgeable arm behind them in the same way the Vikings held onto Sean Mannion – another product of the Rams system – in the backup role behind Kirk Cousins.
The Vikings can still attempt to add Hall to the practice squad but his preseason performance could entice a team to take a chance. Either way, it’s clear the Vikings wanted to add experience to the quarterback room, which means Rypien could be more of what Kevin O’Connell is looking for.
