Raiders Trade QB Nick Mullens to Vikings for Conditional 2024 Draft Pick

The Las Vegas Raiders traded quarterback Nick Mullens to the Minnesota Vikings for a conditional seventh-round pick.

Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported details of the trade Monday. The Vikings will send the Raiders a seventh-round pick if Mullens is active for one game during the 2022 season.

Mullens, 27, signed with the Raiders in April to compete with Jarrett Stidham for the backup job behind Derek Carr. Both quarterbacks have fared well through the Raiders' first three preseason games, with Stidham throwing for 244 yards without a touchdown or interception and Mullens adding 205 yards and a score without a pick.

It's possible Stidham's overall familiarity with Josh McDaniels' system ultimately won him the job. Stidham served as a backup in New England from 2019 to 2021, during which time McDaniels was the Patriots' offensive coordinator.

The Vikings' decision to trade for Mullens signals dissatisfaction with their own backup quarterback situation. Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion have both struggled throughout training camp. The pair combined to throw for just 136 yards on 35 attempts in the Vikings' preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers over the weekend.

Mond looked strong in Minnesota's first preseason game but fell flat in an ugly two-pick performance against San Francisco. A third-round pick in 2021 to a previous regime, it seems Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell has lost patience with the 23-year-old. Mannion is a career backup who has started only three games over a seven-year NFL career.

Mullens won't save the Vikings offense in the event Kirk Cousins goes down, but he's a capable backup with 17 NFL starts under his belt. He spent his first three years with the San Francisco 49ers before playing for the Cleveland Browns last season.