GettyQuarterback Jaren Hall #16 of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings added two quarterbacks this offseason, likely leaving at least one of the two holdovers from last year as the odd man out.

Sam Darnold is the organization’s present, though his timeline as the starter is murky and will depend on how well he plays along with the development curve of rookie J.J. McCarthy. Meanwhile, McCarthy is the undisputed future of the franchise after the Vikings traded up and spent the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft to acquire him.

That leaves Nick Mullens and 2023 fifth-rounder Jaren Hall to jockey for the backup job until McCarthy is ready, at which point the winner drops to third-string. Before that happens, though, the loser is likely to seek employment elsewhere, as Minnesota doesn’t need to carry four QBs on its roster once the regular season begins in September.

That said, there is no reason for the Vikings to cut Mullens or Hall. The former has proven himself capable of starting and playing well in a pinch, though he is a career backup, while the latter has presumably only scratched the surface of what he might become as an NFL quarterback.

If Minnesota is playing the odds, the better bet at backup is Mullens based on his professional experience and history of moderate performance. That leaves Hall as a potential trade chip, and David Kenyon of Bleacher Report believes the second-year signal-caller has meaningful value across the league.