Minnesota Vikings' Career Passing Yardage Leaders

I've been thinking about some of the career statistical leaders in Minnesota Vikings franchise history. The team's career passing yardage leaders is a good place to start. Success in the NFL is often determined by a team's quarterback. That was shown yesterday when the Kansas City Chiefs gave Patrick Mahomes a real nice contract extension. The quarterback position has been troublesome in Minnesota. They've been looking for a franchise quarterback since Fran Tarkenton retired following the 1978 season. It's no surprise that he tops the list.

Minnesota Vikings' Career Passing Yardage Leaders

Rank Player Passing Yards 1 Fran Tarkenton      33098 2 Tommy Kramer      24775 3 Daunte Culpepper      20162 4 Wade Wilson      12135 5 Brad Johnson      11098 6 Warren Moon      10102 7 Kirk Cousins        7901 8 Brett Favre        6711 9 Christian Ponder        6658 10 Rich Gannon        6457 11 Teddy Bridgewater        6150 12 Randall Cunningham        5680 13 Joe Kapp        4807 14 Sam Bradford        4259 15 Tarvaris Jackson        3984 16 Steve Dils        3867 17 Gary Cuozzo        3552 18 Case Keenum        3547 19 Gus Frerotte        2847 20 Jeff George        2816

NFL offenses have changed greatly since the 1970s. It's been a deliberate change as nearly every new and revised rule since the 1970s has been to make the game easier for the quarterback. Fran Tarkenton spent five years in the middle of his wonderful career with the New York Giants. His passing yardage with the Giants boosted his career total to 47003. At his retirement, Tarkenton had thrown for more yards than any quarterback in NFL history. The mark stood as the NFL record until Dan Marino topped it 17 years later. Now, quarterbacks are sailing past the mark. Drew Brees has surpassed Tarkenton's total by more than 30,000 yards. Half of the NFL's top 10 passing leaders are active players. Tarkenton's 17-year reign as the career passing yardage leader is a record that may never be topped.

If Kirk Cousins is the Vikings quarterback for about six more years and maintains his current passing pace, he could top Tarkenton as the franchise passing yardage leader.

Tommy Kramer was selected in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft to be Tarkenton's successor. Kramer was often brilliant. If injuries hadn't chipped away at his playing time and career, perhaps that brilliance would've been sustained throughout the 1980s. Kramer is one of the great "ifs" in Vikings lore.

The Vikings have selected four quarterbacks in the first round.

Tommy Kramer
Daunte Culpepper
Christian Ponder
Teddy Bridgewater

Three of those quarterbacks have something common. Kramer, Culpepper, and Bridgewater looked like they were on to something pretty great. Kramer suffered through a series of injuries. Culpepper and Bridgewater each suffered a crippling knee injury and nothing was the same for them in Minnesota.

Christian Ponder was simply a first round reach. A very long reach. But hey, he did enough to pop in at #9 on this list.

Warren Moon was the Vikings quarterback for only about 2.5 seasons but my goodness was it a beautiful 2.5 seasons. He and Cris Carter were so much fun.

Another pretty thrower was Jeff George. There have been very few quarterbacks in the history of the NFL that has had his arm talent.

The Vikings' troubling search for a quarterback since Tarkenton's retirement can be summed up by the quarterback that sits at #21 on the Minnesota Vikings' Career Passing Yardage Leaders list.

21. Sean Salisbury.