Ranking Every Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Since 1961
The Minnesota Vikings have had 49 quarterbacks under center since their inception in 1961. Below is a ranking of each and every one of them, through the 2023 season.
Current Vikings quarterbacks Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy are not yet ranked on this list.
This list does not include non-quarterbacks who only threw a handful of passes like Randy Moss, who was 4-8 for two touchdowns and one interception in his career.
#49 SPURGEON WYNN (2001-2002)
Wynn started two games for the Vikings in the 2001/2002 season, including Mike Tice's first game as coach on January 7th at Baltimore. He was... not great, passing for 418 yards with one touchdown against six interceptions.
#48 KELLEN MOND (2021)
The Vikings drafted Mond in the third round of the 2021 draft. He got into just one game and was 2-3 for five yards. Following the 2021 season, then-head-coach Mike Zimmer gave a damning assessment of Mond's future in the NFL:
#47 JOSH FREEMAN (2013)
Freeman was forced into duty in Week Seven in New York against the Giants and was... hard to watch. He finished 20-53 for 190 yards and one interception in a 23-7 loss. It would turn out to be the only game for Freeman in purple.
#46 NORM SNEAD (1971)
Snead came to Minnesota after a successful seven-year run with the Eagles. He only played in seven games with the Vikings in his lone season, but won both of his starts. After throwing for 470 yards with one touchdown and six interceptions he would end up with the Giants in 1972, where he made the Pro Bowl.
#45 JOHN MCCORMICK (1962)
McCormick played in 13 games for the 1962 Vikings and somehow managed to throw five interceptions in just 18 pass attempts with no touchdowns and just 108 yards passing.
#44 BILL CAPPLEMAN (1970)
Cappleman played in one game during the 1970 season. He went 4-7 for 49 yards, resurfaced for a handful of games in Detroit two years later and was out of the league.
#43 JAY WALKER (1996-1997)
Walker was an undrafted free agent out of Long Beach State who only threw two passes for 31 yards (and two first downs) in 1997.
#42 LARRY MILLER (1987)
Miller came to Minnesota via Northern Iowa and appeared in two games in 1987. He went 1-6 for two yards and an interception.
#41 JAREN HALL (2023)
Hall was picked in the fifth round of the 2023 draft and was forced into duty when starting quarterback Kirk Cousins was injured. He finished the season 13-20 for 168 yards and a touchdown and is not likely to be back in purple for 2024.
#40 STEVE BONO (1985-1986)
Bono went on to have a decent career with Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Kansas City and others, ultimately finishing with over 10,000 passing yards. However, his time in purple was unremarkable as he was just 1-11 for eight yards in two games over two seasons.
#39 BUBBY BRISTER (2000)
Brister played for the Steelers, Eagles, Jets and Broncos before spending his final season in Minnesota. He threw 20 passes with ten completions and one interception before retiring at age 38.
#38 JAY FIEDLER (1998)
Fielder is another quarterback who went on to bigger things after playing in Minnesota. In his lone season with Minnesota he appeared in five games and was 3-7 for 41 yards and an interception.
#37 SHAUN HILL (2005, 2016-2017)
Hill was primarily a backup throughout his ten year NFL career. In his three seasons with the Vikings he was 21-42 for 257 yards without a touchdown or interception.
#36 BROOKS BOLLINGER (2006-2007)
The Vikings acquired Bollinger in a trade with the Jets. He played in seven games, starting one, and was 46-68 for one touchdown and two interceptions along with 537 passing yards.
#35 ARCHIE MANNING (1983-1984)
Manning was at the tail-end of his career when he came to Minnesota in a mid-season trade in 1983. He didn't play much for the Vikings and completed 52-94 passes for 545 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions under infamous coach Les Steckel before retiring at the end of the season.
#34 KELLY HOLCOMB (2007)
Holcomb joined the Vikings after stints in Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo. Appearing in three games (all starts) Holcomb lost all three while going 42-83 through the air for 515 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
#33 BOB BERRY (1965-1967, 1973-1975)
Berry spent two stints in Minnesota, appearing in 24 games (two starts). He threw for 708 yards while connecting on 63-124 pass attempts with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.
#32 TONY ADAMS (1987)
Adams returned to the NFL after a nearly ten-year hiatus to join the Vikings as a replacement player during the NFL's strike. He finished with 607 passing yards in 89 attempts with three touchdowns and five interceptions.
#31 SEAN MANNION (2019, 2021)
Mannion appeared in four games with Minnesota including two starts. He was 34-57 for 315 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions.
#30 NICK MULLENS (2022-2023)
Mullens' 0-3 record as a starter may not be great but he has thrown for 1,530 yards with the Vikings in nine games (three starts). He has thrown seven touchdowns against eight interceptions with the purple.
#29 DONOVAN MCNABB (2011)
Another aging vet who came to Minnesota to finish his career, McNabb was a shell of the quarterback he was with Philadelphia in his heyday. In his Vikings career McNabb finished with a 1-5 record while throwing for 1,026 yards on 156 attempts with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
#28 JOSHUA DOBBS (2023)
Call it recency bias, but Dobbs showed flashes in four games as starter with the Vikings in 2023. He won two of those starts while going 95-151 through the air for 895 yards and five touchdowns. He also threw five interceptions, lost six fumbles and was ultimately benched.
#27 TODD BOUMAN (2001-2002)
Ok, I may have bumped him up a couple of spots because he came from St. Cloud State. An undrafted free agent, Bouman made the team in 2001 and ended up getting into six games over two seasons with the Vikings. He threw for 880 yards with eight touchdowns against four interceptions.
#26 RON VANDER KELEN (1963-1967)
Vander Kelen appeared in 29 games, including five starts, for the Vikings during their infancy. In his 29 games, Vander Kelen was 107-252 with six touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
#25 MATT CASSEL (2013-2015)
Cassel began his career as Tom Brady's backup in New England before becoming a starter with Kansas City. With the Vikings he appeared in 12 games (nine starts) and was 194-325 through the air with 14 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.
#24 STEVE DILS (1979-1984)
Dils was a fourth round pick out of Stanford in 1979 and went on to play in 47 games with the Vikings (15 starts). Dils threw for 3,867 passing yards with a 53.9% completion rate and 15 touchdowns against 18 interceptions.
#23 SEAN SALISBURY (1992-1994)
Salisbury made his way into 22 games (nine starts) with the Vikings and threw for 2,772 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. He finished his career with the Chargers in 1996 and now can be seen in several Adam Sandler movies.
#22 JOE WEBB (2010-2013)
Originally signed as a wide receiver, Webb ended up playing in 33 games (four starts) under center in Minnesota. He was 88-152 (57.9%) passing with three touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 273 yards and four touchdowns.
#21 BOB LEE (1969-1972, 1975-1978)
Lee was taken 441st overall in the 1969 NFL Draft before appearing in 52 games (11 starts) with the Vikings. He threw for 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns in 306 attempts along with 17 interceptions.
#20 GUS FREROTTE (2003-2004, 2008)
Frerotte had bounced around the league from Washington to Detroit to Denver and Cincinnati before signing with Minnesota before the 2003 season. He ended up in 43 games (13 starts) with the Vikings with 2,847 passing yards and a 19 TD/17 INT ratio.
#19 CHRISTIAN PONDER (2011-2014)
Ponder actually ranks ninth all time in franchise history with 6,658 passing yards but is unfortunately remembered as a player taken too high in the draft. He ended up with a 14-21-1 record and 38 touchdowns/36 interceptions across 38 games.
#18 TARVARIS JACKSON (2006-2010)
Jackson was a second round draft pick in 2006 out of Arkansas and Alabama State. Jackson played in 36 games with the Vikings (20 starts) and threw for 3,984 yards with 24 touchdowns and 22 interceptions thrown.
#17 GARY CUOZZO (1968-1971)
While Cuozzo's counting stats may not be much to look at, it's hard to overlook the 16-5 record he led Minnesota to as starter. He threw for 3,552 yards with 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions but was 10-2 in 1970 and 6-2 as starter in 1971.
#16 JIM MCMAHON (1993)
McMahon joined the Vikings for one season and led them to a playoff appearance, where they ultimately lost in the Wild Card round to the Giants. McMahon is more notable for his leadership and toughness than his counting stats, which added up to 1,968 passing yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.
#15 JEFF GEORGE (1999)
George stepped in for Randall Cunningham the season after the offensive record-breaking Vikings' offense played in the NFC Championship game. In 12 games (ten starts), George threw for 2,816 yards with 23 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while posting an 8-2 record.
#14 RICH GANNON (1987-1992)
Gannon would go on to have more success elsewhere, but he was no slouch in his time with the Vikings, finishing tenth in team history in passing yards. In 48 games (35 starts), Gannon was 561-1003 (55.9%) for 6,457 yards and 40 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He won the NFL MVP award with the Raiders in 2002.
#13 TEDDY BRIDGEWATER (2014-2017)
Maybe the ultimate what-could-have-been story among Vikings' quarterbacks, Bridgewater suffered a devastating knee injury before the 2016 season that would ultimately end his tenure in purple. In just 29 games, Bridgewater threw for 6,150 yards (11th in team history) with 28 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
#12 SAM BRADFORD (2016-2017)
The Vikings sent a first round draft pick to Philadelphia to acquire Bradford after Bridgewater's injury and, despite injuries of his own, he played well in Minnesota. In 17 games over two seasons, Bradford finished with a franchise-record 71.8 completion percentage with 4,259 passing yards and 23 touchdowns against just five interceptions.
#11 WARREN MOON (1994-1996)
Moon joined Minnesota in 1994 at 38 years old and spent three seasons in purple. In 39 starts he threw for 10,102 yards (seventh in team history) with 58 touchdowns and 42 interceptions.
#10 CASE KEENUM (2017)
Keenum took over for Bradford at quarterback in 2017 and led the Vikings to an 11-3 record while completing 67.6% of his passes with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 'Minneapolis Miracle' pass to Stefon Diggs advanced Minnesota to the NFC Championship game.
#9 JOE KAPP (1967-1969)
Kapp may be a little high on this list for some, but there's no discounting Kapp leading the team to its first Super Bowl in 1969, a season in which Kapp also made the Pro Bowl. His final career stats aren't great (4,807 yards on 50.2% passing with 37 touchdowns and 47 interceptions), but wins are wins.
#8 RANDALL CUNNINGHAM (1997-1999)
Cunningham was out of football when the Vikings came calling in 1997. In 1998 he filled in for starter Brad Johnson, who was lost to injury, and all Cunningham did was finish as runner-up for the league MVP award with a 13-1 record in 14 starts with 3,704 yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. For his career with Minnesota, Cunningham finished with 5,680 passing yards with 48 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
#7 BRETT FAVRE (2009-2010)
It was a tale of two seasons, but there is no denying how good Favre was during his first season with the Vikings in 2009. During that season, which saw the Vikings advance to the NFC Championship game, the Hall of Famer threw for 4,202 yards with 33 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The next season is one Vikings fans would like to forget as Favre threw for 2,509 yards, 11 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
#6 WADE WILSON (1981-1991)
Wilson was an 8th round draft pick who played ten seasons with the Vikings. He is fifth all time for the franchise in passing yards with 12,135 while throwing 66 touchdowns and 75 interceptions.
#5 BRAD JOHNSON (1994-1998, 2005-2006)
Like Rich Gannon, Johnson's best years came after leaving Minnesota (he won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2002), but he was a steady QB during his days in purple as well. He ultimately played 68 games for the Vikings (46 starts) and passed for 11,908 yards with 65 touchdowns and 48 interceptions.
#4 KIRK COUSINS (2018-2023)
Cousins was a divisive player in purple as he won a lot of regular season games and put up big passing numbers but never got over the playoff hump, finishing with a 1-2 postseason record. His 23,265 passing yards with Minnesota are third in team history and his 171 touchdown passes are second in team history.
#3 TOMMY KRAMER (1977-1989)
Kramer spent most of his career in Minnesota after being drafted 27th overall in 1977. Kramer started in 110 games with the Vikings and his 24,775 passing yards are the second-most in team history. He threw 159 touchdowns but also 157 interceptions with the Vikings.
#2 DAUNTE CULPEPPER (1999-2005)
Culpepper was drafted 11th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft despite the Vikings having MVP runner-up Randall Cunningham on the roster. After a year on the bench behind Cunningham and Jeff George, Culpepper went on to start 80 games for the Vikings from 2000-2005. He made three Pro Bowls and threw for 20,162 yards with 135 touchdowns and 86 interceptions.
Culpepper could also chew up yards on the ground, as he posted 2,476 rushing yards with Minnesota as well. He struggled to return to form after a knee injury in 2005.
#1 FRAN TARKENTON (1961-1966, 1972-1978)
Tarkenton leads the Vikings' career lists in most categories including passing yards (33,908), passing touchdowns (239) and interceptions (194).