View photos of new Vikings QB Sean Mannion during his time with the Rams.
EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings on Monday announced the signing of quarterback Sean Mannion.
A third-round pick by the Rams in 2015, Mannion has appeared in 10 games for St. Louis/Los Angeles and made one start. He has completed 33 of 53 passes (62.3 percent) for 258 yards with one interception for a career passer rating of 66.4.
Mannion will turn 27 on April 25, the first day of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Here are five things to know about the new Vikings quarterback:
1. Role with the Rams
Mannion has backed up Jared Goff each of the past three seasons. He started in place of the 2016 No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 regular-season finale, a 34-13 loss to San Francisco that didn't affect the Rams playoff status. Mannion completed 20 of 34 passes (58.8 percent) for 169 yards for a passer rating of 71.8 against the 49ers.
2. Prodigious passing numbers in college
Mannion starred collegiately at Oregon State where he broke multiple school records, including career passing yards (13,600), completions (1,187), attempts (1,838), completion percentage (64.6) and touchdowns (83), passing yards in a game (493), passing yards in a season (4,662 in 2013) and number of games with 350 or more passing yards (11).
3. The Man(nion) at Manning Academy
In July 2014, Mannion won the Manning Passing Academy Air-it-Out Challenge at the annual clinic that has been hosted for more than 20 years by Archie, Cooper, Peyton and Eli Manning.
The contest challenges quarterbacks to throw footballs at nine moving golf carts with targets. Mannion hit all nine targets, showcasing his accuracy in the drill.
4. High school high
Mannion was born in San Jose, California. He played high school football at Foothill in Pleasanton, starting three seasons and garnering a rating of four stars from Rivals. He set a Northern California record with 581 passing yards and five touchdowns in one game.
In addition to being a three-year starter in football, Mannion earned two letters in baseball as a pitcher and one letter in basketball as a center.
5. A coach's son
Mannion's father, John, began coaching at Foothill as an assistant in 1996 and was promoted to head coach in 2007. After guiding his son on the grid and as Sean was heading to Corvallis, John Mannion relocated to Silverton High School in Oregon and coached there for seven seasons. He launched the program at a new Oregon high school (Mountainside) in 2017.