Vikings bench QB Nick Mullens, to start rookie Jaren Hall

EAGAN, Minn. — The quarterback carousel is turning once 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, marking the team’s fourth change in starters since Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon in Week 8.

Hall will replace Nick Mullens, who went 0-2 while throwing for 714 yards and four touchdowns, along with six interceptions, in a wild two-game stint as Minnesota’s starter. The losses pushed the Vikings to the edge of the NFC playoff picture, and they now have a 19% chance to clinch a postseason berth, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Hall, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, was Cousins’ backup at the time of his injury. He made one start, in Week 9 at the Atlanta Falcons, but departed 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 giving way to Mullens, who had entered the season as the Vikings’ No. 2 quarterback 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 has been doing a great job in learning and just the process of being a rookie and carrying that role,” Jefferson said. “It’s definitely been a tough year just battling with the injuries. … I feel like Jaren is definitely a great quarterback. He has definitely some potential to spark this offense up if we put him out there to play, but we’ll have confidence in whoever.”

The Vikings were encouraged by Hall’s performance in his brief appearance against the Falcons, during which he completed 5 of 6 passes for 78 yards and scrambled twice for 11 yards. But O’Connell’s decision was driven largely by the slew of turnovers Mullens and Dobbs have committed in their stints.

Dobbs had five passes intercepted and lost three fumbles in parts of five games. Mullens fumbled twice in two games, both of which were recovered by the Vikings, and had a seventh interception reversed by penalty. A possible eighth interception was dropped.