After spending the past two years as Kirk Cousins‘ backup with the Vikings, Sean Mannion has been in free agency for the past four-plus months. The veteran reserve may have a new gig soon.
Mannion worked out for both the Seahawks and Jets this week, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter links). The Jets have both Mannion and Josh Johnson at their facility Thursday.
Although the Jets signed No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson on Thursday afternoon, they have an apparent need for signal-caller depth. Neither of New York’s QB2 candidates — 2020 fourth-round pick James Morgan and former UDFA Mike White — has never taken a regular-season snap. While Mannion has spent his career behind largely durable quarterbacks — Jared Goff in Los Angeles, Cousins in Minnesota — he has six years’ experience and is one of the top QBs left on the market.
Mannion has experience with new Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron; the duo worked together with the Rams. Waldron served as the Rams’ passing-game coordinator in 2018, Mannion’s final year with the team. The Vikings moved on from Mannion this offseason and drafted Kellen Mond in the third round. The Seahawks re-signed Geno Smith, who has been Russell Wilson‘s backup since 2019, but may be looking for competition.
Johnson has famously been with 14 teams in his lengthy NFL career, which began in 2008. Now 35, Johnson has a key connection to the current Jets staff. He was most recently with the 49ers, who cut him in June. The Jets hired both 49ers DC Robert Saleh and ex-San Francisco passing-game coordinator Mike LaFleur. Johnson’s historic journeyman run included a Jets stopover in 2015. The team cut him after barely a week.
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