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Former Minnesota Vikings QB Kyle Sloter.
Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyle Sloter has a theory that’s turning heads in the NFL.
The former NFL journeyman quarterback who earned a sterling reputation in the 2018 and 2019 preseasons with Vikings fans reacted to final roster cuts this season with a bit of a bitter take, as he calls it.
“By the looks of QB depth charts these days, I should have worked harder to be best friends with the starter instead of actually competing and playing well,” Sloter posted on X on August 31. “Teams value average backup play so the starter isnt threatened. #bitter take of the day lol.”
Sloter’s take is first-hand. In 2022, he spoke out on his belief that Minnesota picked Sean Mannion for the 53-man roster because of his relationship with Kirk Cousins — not his play.
“I think my first season (with the Vikings in 2017), they were grooming me for something,” Sloter told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “Sam Bradford, Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater were on expiring contracts. But when Kirk came (on a three-year, $84 million deal in 2018), who was a big pickup for them, I think that changed things. When you commit that much money to a guy, it was about supporting Kirk.
“Sean Mannion was (two) years my senior, and I was just a young guy (in 2019), so that’s a big gap in knowledge. Although I think my play was superior (to Mannion’s), I think that they saw in Sean the ability to help Kirk in the classroom, and that was valued more.”
Sloter’s resume from the 2019 preseason, when he and Mannion competed for the primary backup job, gives truth to his belief.
He completed a gaudy 76% of his passes for four TDs and one interception, compiling a 120.0 passer rating. He also never gave up a sack. Mannion completed 66% of his passes for two touchdowns, an interception and a 93.2 passer rating.
Sloter never made a 53-man roster despite performing better than Mannion in the preseason. He’s bounced around to five different teams since his most competitive preseasons with the Vikings but failed to leave a mark in the NFL.
He played for the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL in 2022, tallying 1,798 passing yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars for training camp that summer.
Sloter did not compete in an NFL training camp this summer after being released by the XFL’s Arlington Renegades after just four games. He signed with the Birmingham Stallions (USFL) in April.
Another QB Verbalizes Vikings Asking Him to Not Compete
GettyBo Levi Mitchell won two Greys Cups with the Calgary Stampede before trying out with the Vikings in 2019.
Sloter isn’t alone in his suspicions. Former Canadian Football League (CFL) Bo Levi Mitchell revealed in 2019 that a Vikings staffer had to cool the expectations of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award winner.
Appearing on “The Bow Show” on Sportsnet 960 in Calgary, Mitchell said that he impressed at a workouts enough that an unnamed Vikincial asked him what he could bring to the team.
Here’s Mitchell’s response, per Bring Me The News:
I was like, ‘Well, for one, I’ve never been anywhere in football and not won a championship as a starter. High school, DI, DI-AA, now here in the CFL. Everywhere I’ve ever been I’ve won a championship within the first three years I’ve been there. I can help you do that. I’m going to come in here, I’m going to take Kirk’s job.
He was like, ‘Oh, no, no, n-n-n-no, we don’t want you to take Kirk’s job. We want you to come in here, help him with his eyes, tell him what you see, do everything you can to make him a better quarterback. But we need a good quarterback room, we don’t want you to cause controversy. At that moment I was like, ‘Well, I’m not signing with the Minnesota Vikings.’
I don’t understand that thought process. All that tells me is there’s a culture in that building right now that, ‘Hey, your job is secure because of the money we paid you. Don’t worry about anything you do or the decisions you make or anything the media says, just do what we tell you to do and you’re going to be fine.’ It’s mind-blowing. You don’t even want a guy that’s pushing him or creating competition.
Confidence in the Vikings locker room was already fleeting after missing the playoffs the first year the team signed Cousins to a three-year, $84 million contract. The veteran quarterback has matured plenty since his first deal with the team, but Mitchell wouldn’t have been a threat to Cousins.
Mitchell has never played a snap in the NFL to this day, and it’s likely for other reasons beyond making starting quarterbacks skittish with his abilities.
Professional athlete’s competitive drive has carried them to the top of their respective sports, but the development in the NFL is about helping players reach their ceilings, and at times, that may involve teaching quarterbacks to be good resources and teammates to the starters.
NFL Fans React to Kyle Sloter’s Comments
Sloter’s post on X saw over 750,000 views as it sparked fire on social media.
Many fans came to his defense, seeing his firsthand experience with the Vikings selecting him over Mannion.
However, Sloter’s experience is also a double-edged sword in his point as some fans called out his NFL resume of never making the team can be seen as an open wound.
“Idk if he’s right or wrong but what a bad look on this guy. Salt take,” one fan responded.
However, the point still stands and when considering the chip Sloter carried on his shoulders, it may have played a part in him not being willing to hold a clipboard during the regular season.
Trevor Squire is a sports journalist covering the Minnesota Vikings for Heavy.com. Trevor studied journalism at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, making stops at the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. You can reach him at tre[email protected] and follow him on Twitter @trevordsquire. More about Trevor Squire
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