QB Nick Mullens will get his chance to shine for the Cleveland Browns in Week 15 of the 2021 NFL season after positive COVID tests ruled out both Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum. As Mullens takes to the field for the first time as a Browns player, let’s look back at which NFL teams he has played for, his college career, and his salary for the 2021 NFL season.
What NFL teams has Nick Mullens played for?
Mullens has actually only stepped onto the NFL field in a competitive game for one franchise — the San Francisco 49ers. Between 2018 and 2020, Mullens started 16 games for the 49ers and played 19 in total. During that time, he posted a 5-11 record between two eight-game seasons as a starter. Mullens went 3-5 in 2018 before going 2-6 in 2020.
His statistics are not all that flattering. Mullens completed 64.5% of his passes for 4,714 yards but did manage 7.9 yards per attempt. Where his numbers really fall flat is his touchdown to interception ratio. Mullens threw 25 touchdowns at a rate of 4.2% to 22 interceptions at a rate of 3.7%. Add in 8 fumbles over the course of those three seasons, and it’s clear protecting the ball was a major issue.
Heading into the 2021 offseason, Mullens was set to be a restricted free agent. It was somewhat of a surprise that the 49ers did not even tender him, but they had positioned themselves to select a QB in the 2021 NFL Draft. Therefore, Mullens became somewhat redundant in San Francisco.
As an unrestricted free agent, Mullens signed a one-year contract with the Eagles. However, he was waived on August 28 and did not enter the season with the team. The Browns then added him to the practice squad on September 1. Mullens was briefly elevated for Cleveland’s game against the Denver Broncos. Yet, he did not play a snap before reverting back to the practice squad.
Where did Mullens play college football?
Mullens followed in the footsteps of NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre in attending the University of Southern Mississippi. He started in his true freshman season as the team looked to break out of an 18-game losing streak. Mullens immediately flashed potential and helped Southern Miss break their losing streak at 24 games during his freshman campaign.
Mullens would go on to play 44 games with the Golden Eagles, starting 41. He ended his college career as the school’s leading passer in every statistical category. During his time there, he led a reversal in fortunes for the program. After they won just one game in his freshman year, Southern Miss went 16-9 with Mullens as a starter over his final two seasons.
What is Mullens’ salary?
Depending on which resource you look at, Mullens’ contract is either set to pay him $204,444 (Spotrac) or $252,000 (Over the Cap) for the rest of the year. That works out to around $51,000-$63,000 per game that he remains on the roster through the end of the season.
None of the money owed to Mullens is guaranteed, so he will only get paid as long as he is on the roster. The Browns cannot simply send Mullens back to the practice squad. If they want to clear a space on their active roster, Cleveland would have to release Mullens, at which point he would be subject to waivers.