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https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi/news...kedin-post
Former Vikings quarterback and draft bust Kellen Mond, who most recently played in the United Football League, is now an artist and photographer who also posts influencer content on LinkedIn.
Mond's most recent post talks about his rookie year with the Vikings in 2021, specifically through the lens of the disconnect between Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman in their final year together before both were fired. Much of the information is stuff that's been made public in the past, but it's interesting nonetheless.
Mond's post starts like this: "When I was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, my head coach walked out of the draft room. We never spoke. Not once."
Zimmer walking out when Spielman took Mond in the third round of the '21 draft is something the former eight-year Vikings head coach revealed in an August 2024 interview with the Star Tribune. Mond saying the two never had a single conversation that year is remarkable. An NFL head coach and a rookie QB not talking for an entire season is hard to fathom.
Mond's post then talks about how the Zimmer-Spielman relationship began to sour as far back as 2018, when the Vikings signed Kirk Cousins in free agency. Zimmer not wanting Cousins is another dynamic that's become pretty well-known since that regime ended. Mond said he never saw Zimmer and Spielman speak during that 2021 season.
"Imagine the two most important people in any organization never talking," he wrote. "What happens to that business? It crumbles. And that's exactly what happened."
After the conclusion of an 8-9 season in 2021, both Zimmer and Spielman were let go. Only Spielman addressed the team after finding out.
"The GM addressed the team and thanked us for our hard work, effort and dedication," Mond wrote. "The head coach was nowhere to be found. His reasoning for not addressing the team and players: 'They got me fired.' That response told me everything I needed to know."
Zimmer saying "They got me fired" as his reasoning for not addressing his players after the final game is another detail that was revealed in Mark Craig's 2024 Star Tribune story.
Mond then wrapped up his LinkedIn post by talking about the business lesson he learned from working under Zimmer.
"(It) taught me an unforgettable leadership lesson: Every time you show up to work, you control the energy in the building. The way you act. The way you speak. Your body language. If you forget that enough times, don't be surprised when you have a disconnect with others in your organization. Leadership is an atmosphere you create, not a title you hold."
Mond, 26, was part of an infamous Vikings third round haul in 2021 that also included Pat Jones II and two other busts in linebacker Chazz Surratt and guard Wyatt Davis.
The most notable thing that happened during Mond's Vikings tenure came after a Week 17 game at Lambeau Field. Zimmer was asked if he wanted to see Mond play in the regular season finale the following week, to which he replied "not particularly." Asked why not, Zimmer said "I see him every day." It's one of the lasting memories of the end of the Zimmer era.
Mond had briefly entered that game in Green Bay, while Sean Mannion was banged up, and attempted three passes. They were the only regular season snaps he ever took with the Vikings (or any other NFL team). The former Texas A&M star was released in final roster cuts by Minnesota's new regime the following year.
After brief offseason stints with the Browns, Colts, and Saints, he played for the UFL's now-defunct San Antonio Brahmas in spring 2025. Mond isn't on a UFL roster for the upcoming season, which may signal the end of his football career.
Zimmer, 69, was out of the NFL for a couple years after being fired by the Vikings. He then spent the 2024 season as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. He has since seemingly retired from coaching.
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