MINNEAPOLIS — Everyone knew the Vikings would eventually have to face the future without the reliable arm of quarterback Kirk Cousins, but the team - and the fans - were not expecting it to happen this soon.
Cousins suffered a season-ending right Achilles tear during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The only other quarterback on the team's roster -- because veteran backup Nick Mullens is injured-- was rookie Jaren Hall.
The fifth-round pick out of BYU finished the game - going 3 of 4 for 23 yards - but also lost a fumble when he was stripped-sacked by Packers' linebacker Preston Smith.
Hall, 25, will almost certainly start in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons, and who knows, could even take the job with an impressive outing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
But the Vikings NEED to have a backup plan -- to the backup plan -- and will almost certainly make roster moves this week.
The team has done a great job tackling the problem of losing their superstar wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, to injury earlier this month.
Rookie Jordan Addison, along with TJ Hockenson, KJ Osborn, and Brandon Powell have stepped up their game after Jefferson went on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 5 versus the Kansas City Chiefs.
While the Vikings have had success in finding a plethora of good receivers, the team has not had much practice in picking QBs due to the reliability of Cousins over the years.
The 35-year-old Michigan State alum has never missed an NFL game due to injury. The only game Cousins missed was due to COVID.
So now the Vikings must make the most critical decision on the most important decision-maker on the team. Who will be their leader from this point on?
Hall was a two-year starter at BYU. He threw 52 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and had a career passer efficiency rating of 65.2%. He threw 5,109 passing yards. Hall added 657 rushing yards. Before going to BYU, Hall served a two-year Mormon mission.
But if Hall isn't the answer, do they go with Mullens?
The 28-year-old journeyman, who was an undrafted free agent from Southern Miss and originally signed to the practice squad of the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, was placed on IR because of a back injury in Week 5. He can't return until Week 10.
Earlier this month, the Vikings signed veteran backup Sean Mannion to the practice squad after releasing former Golden Gophers quarterback, Tanner Morgan.
As far as other names of quarterbacks names being bandied about are Colt McCoy, Andy Dalton, Jacoby Brisset, Ryan Tannehill, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Teddy Bridgewater, Case Keenum, and --yes-- Tom Brady.
The NFL trade deadline is 3 p.m. Tuesday, fittingly Halloween. Let all the scary speculation begin.