Vikings sign QB Brett Rypien and waive Jaren Hall

EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a minor surprise Thursday by signing veteran backup quarterback Brett Rypien and waiving Jaren Hall, their No. 3 quarterback last season who seemingly secured his job with a strong preseason performance.

Rypien, 28, was released by the Chicago Bears earlier this week. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos (2019-2022), where he started three games before joining the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. Rams coach Sean McVay and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell are close friends and have a similar offensive system.

The Vikings remain on track to start Sam Darnold in Week 1 against the New York Giants, with fellow veteran Nick Mullens serving as his backup. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said the team will try to re-sign Hall to its practice squad but is concerned he is “just one snap away, or just one snap away from a snap” at this point in his development.

Hall, a fifth-round draft pick in 2023, started two games amid chaos following Kirk Cousins’ Achilles tendon tear, but did not finish either game.

Coach Kevin O’Connell said, “I fully believe in Jaren Hall’s future,” but added that Rypien is a better option “short term.”

“This move was really indicative of what we went through last year,” O’Connell said.

The Vikings were rocked earlier this month by a season-ending injury to rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy. He had made a comeback in training camp and seemed on track to become a starter as the season went on. They signed quarterback Matt Corral to keep four quarterbacks on the roster, but waived him earlier this week.

Speaking to reporters in March, Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf made it clear that he did not accept injuries, particularly to Cousins, as an excuse for the team’s 7-10 record.

“That’s part of the game,” Wilf said at the time. “You have to be prepared for that and I think (Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell) will be the first to tell you that they’re taking that on.”