"It’s a game I’ll always remember" Vikings QB reflects on excellent performance vs. Browns

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback room has a lot of intrigue. J.J. McCarthy is the future of the franchise but won't play for the Vikings in his rookie season after tearing his meniscus .

Sam Darnold is going to get the starting job to start the season against the New York Giants in week one. The talent is there for Darnold, but he's never been able to put it together. The biggest argument for Darnold is that he's never had a great supporting cast and infrastructure surrounding him. Nick Mullens is going to be the backup to Darnold and Jaren Hall will be behind him.

Jaren Hall cherishes playing the game

Of these two, Hall is the interesting one. A fifth-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, Hall showed some real development during the preseason last year and ended up starting two games for the Vikings due to Kirk Cousins suffering a torn Achilles tendon. The second start was brutal for Hall, as he was not ready for prime time and got pulled at halftime.

Going into the 2024 season, the best path forward for Hall with the Vikings is to become the long-term backup. He was the second quarterback in the game for the Vikings against the Cleveland Browns and thrived, completing 4-of-5 passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns. That gave him a perfect passer rating on the day.

He spoke to the media after his banner day and was grateful.

"I don’t know about another day in the office, man. Days like this you just cherish forever. It’s a game I’ll always remember - preseason or not. Just to play and execute the simple plays that are being called. I trust in the coaches’ call. It just feels good. It’s fun to enjoy with your teammates like that.”

Hall needed this game after playing so poorly against the Las Vegas Raiders the previous Saturday. He looked tentative and had poor decision making throughout the game. The only thing that helped him was a drive at the end to set up the Vikings for a game-winning field goal.

Things looked much different for Hall and it looked like the player we saw at the beginning of the Atlanta Falcons start in week nine last season. That is going to make a difference in how long Hall stays on the roster.

Right now, Hall is in a good spot to stay on the roster. All he needs to do is keep growing and enjoying the game.

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