BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 15: Head Coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers stands on the field prior to a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 15, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
BRUTALLY: See how Veteran Vikings quarterback retires and joins the Packers for a fresh start deal.
Regarded as one of Kirk Cousins’ closest friends and study partners in the quarterback room of the Minnesota Vikings, veteran Sean Mannion has concluded his playing career and crossed the border to become a coach for the Green Bay Packers in the upcoming season.
Sean Mannion, a former quarterback for the Rams, Vikings, and Seahawks, is wrapping up his nine-year NFL career and has agreed to join the coaching staff of the Packers, according to a report from ESPN’s Brady Henderson on February 3. “He’ll work on passing games and QBs.”
The St. Louis Rams selected the 31-year-old Mannion in the third round of the 2015 draft. Throughout his career, Mannion filled in as a backup quarterback. When he joined the Vikings in 2019, his main contribution to the team was in the meeting room.
Sean was more than just Kirk’s study partner. It really helps to having someone who can communicate what’s going on as clearly, swiftly, and with expertise as Mannion when you have a rookie coordinator like Klint Kubiak, according to Paul Allen of KFAN in August 2022. “Though it’s difficult to dispute that Sean Mannion is our backup and can’t play, Cousins benefited from having Mannion by his side.”
Mannion was benched for the 2022 season by the newly appointed Vikings administration, led by Kevin O’Connell. Last season, he returned to Minnesota a third time, joining the practice squad on October 11 and eventually joining the Seattle Seahawks in December.
Throughout his career, Mannion has made three starts; the latest came in a 2021 Week 17 defeat to the Green Bay Packers while Cousins was undergoing COVID-19 procedure. That game, a 37-10 defeat that ended Mike Zimmer’s tenure as head coach and forced the Vikings out of the postseason, saw him throw his only touchdown pass of his career.
