Due to injuries, poor play, chaos, etc., the Minnesota Vikings started four quarterbacks last year.
Kirk Cousins
Jaren Hall
Josh Dobbs
Nick Mullens
If a team is starting four quarterbacks in a season, things aren’t going as planned. Once they crawled out of their early expansion days, the Vikings have remarkably been a consistently contending team. Over the past seven decades, losing seasons have been few and winning seasons have been many. The consistent success is remarkable because the Vikings always seem to be looking for a franchise quarterback. When it looks like they’ve found that quarterback, an incredible run of bad luck takes that quarterback away.
Since their first season in 1961, the Vikings have selected five quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Tommy Kramer (1977)
Daunte Culpepper (1999)
Christian Ponder (2011)
Teddy Bridgewater (2014)
J.J. McCarthy (2024)
Tommy Kramer was always fun and often great when he was on the field. He wasn’t on the field enough. Daunte Culpepper was on an upward trajectory until a knee injury ended his time in Minnesota. Christian Ponder was drafted to be a quarterback that he never had the talent to be. As with Culpepper, a horrible knee injury ended whatever future Teddy Bridgewater might’ve had with the Vikings. Each of the four quarterbacks was drafted to be the next great Vikings quarterback. Three showed great potential and the fourth was Ponder. Now, we come to J.J. McCarthy. He won’t be the team’s quarterback this season. After a sparkling preseason debut on Saturday, showing everything that we wanted him to be, he experienced soreness in his right knee. An MRI revealed a torn meniscus. The surgery to repair that tear will end his rookie season before it started. It’s not the start anyone surrounding the team wanted but he’ll be back. Perhaps better for the setback. J.J. McCarthy is the quarterback that the Vikings have wanted for so long. He will be back and he better stay back. Until then, Sam Darnold will become the 43rd starting quarterback in Minnesota Vikings franchise history. He better stay on the field.
Considering that Tarkenton is the Vikings all-time franchise quarterback, it’s shocking that the team once traded him away. At least the same decision-makers had the bright idea to bring him back five years later.
43 quarterbacks. Here are those quarterbacks.
1961:
George Shaw (4)
Fran Tarkenton (10)
1962
Fran Tarkenton (14)
1963:
Fran Tarkenton (13)
Ron Vander Kelen (1)
1964:
Fran Tarkenton ((14)
1965:
Fran Tarkenton (14)
1966:
Fran Tarkenton (12)
Ron Vander Kelen (1)
Bob Berry (1)
1967:
Joe Kapp (11)
Ron Vander Kelen (3)
1968:
Joe Kapp (14)
1969:
Joe Kapp (13)
Gary Couzzo (1)
1970:
Gary Couzzo (12)
Bob Lee (2)
1971:
Gary Couzzo (8)
Bob Lee (4)
Norm Snead (2)
1972:
Fran Tarkenton (14)
1973:
Fran Tarkenton (14)
1974:
Fran Tarkenton (13)
Bob Berry (1)
1975:
Fran Tarkenton (14)
1976:
Fran Tarkenton (13)
Bob Lee (1)
1977:
Fran Tarkenton (9)
Bob Lee (4)
Tommy Kramer (1)
1978:
Fran Tarkenton (16)
1979:
Tommy Kramer (16)
1980:
Tommy Kramer (15)
Steve Dils (1)
1981:
Tommy Kramer (14)
Steve Dils (2)
1982:
Tommy Kramer (9)
1983:
Steve Dils (12)
Tommy Kramer (3)
Wade Wilson (1)
1984:
Tommy Kramer (9)
Wade Wilson (5)
Archie Manning (2)
1985:
Tommy Kramer (15)
Wade Wilson (1)
1986:
Tommy Kramer (13)
Wade Wilson (3)
1987:
Wade Wilson (7)
Tony Adams (3) - replacement games
Tommy Kramer (5)
1988:
Wade Wilson (10)
Tommy Kramer (6)
1989:
Wade Wilson (12)
Tommy Kramer (4)
1990:
Rich Gannon (12)
Wade Wilson (4)
1991:
Rich Gannon (11)
Wade Wilson (5)
1992:
Rich Gannon (12)
Sean Salisbury (4)
1993:
Jim McMahon (12)
Sean Salisbury (4)
1994:
Warren Moon (15)
Sean Salisbury (1)
1995:
Warren Moon (16)
1996:
Warren Moon (8)
Brad Johnson (8)
1997:
Brad Johnson (13)
Randall Cunningham (3)
1998:
Randall Cunningham (14)
Brad Johnson (2)
1999:
Jeff George (10)
Randall Cunningham (6)
2000:
Daunte Culpepper (16)
2001:
Daunte Culpepper (11)
Spergon Wynn (2)
Todd Bouman (3)
2002:
Daunte Culpepper (16)
2003:
Daunte Culpepper (14)
Gus Frerotte (2)
2004:
Daunte Culpepper (16)
2005:
Daunte Culpepper (7)
Brad Johnson (9)
2006:
Brad Johnson (14)
Tarvaris Jackson (2)
2007:
Tarvaris Jackson (12)
Kelly Holcomb (3)
Brooks Bollinger (1)
2008:
Gus Frerotte (11)
Tarvaris Jackson (5)
2009:
Brett Favre (16)
2010:
Brett Favre (13)
Tarvaris Jackson (1)
Joe Webb (2)
2011:
Donovan McNabb (6)
Christian Ponder (10)
2012:
Christian Ponder (16)
2013:
Christian Ponder (9)
Josh Freeman (1)
Matt Cassel (6)
2014:
Matt Cassel (3)
Teddy Bridgewater (12)
Christian Ponder (1)
2015:
Teddy Bridgewater (16)
2016:
Shaun Hill (1)
Sam Bradford (15)
2017:
Sam Bradford (2)
Case Keenum (14)
2018:
Kirk Cousins (16)
2019:
Kirk Cousins (15)
Sean Mannion (1)
2020:
Kirk Cousins (16)
2021:
Kirk Cousins (16)
Sean Mannion (1)
2022:
Kirk Cousins (17)
2023:
Kirk Cousins (8)
Jaren Hall (2)
Josh Dobbs (4)
Nick Mullens (3)
63 years and the Vikings have started 42 quarterbacks. Hopefully, the 64th season adds only one to the list. Unless, J.J. McCarthy recovers early.
2024:
Sam Darnold
George Shaw
Fran Tarkenton
Ron Vander Kelen
Bob Berry
Joe Kapp
Gary Couzzo
Bob Lee
Norm Snead
Tommy Kramer
Steve Dils
Wade Wilson
Archie Manning
Tony Adams - replacement games
Rich Gannon
Sean Salisbury
Jim McMahon
Warren Moon
Brad Johnson
Randall Cunningham
Jeff George
Daunte Culpepper
Spergon Wynn
Todd Bouman
Gus Frerotte
Tarvaris Jackson
Kelly Holcomb
Brooks Bollinger
Brett Favre
Joe Webb
Donovan McNabb
Christian Ponder
Josh Freeman
Matt Cassel
Teddy Bridgewater
Shaun Hill
Sam Bradford
Case Keenum
Kirk Cousins
Sean Mannion
Jaren Hall
Josh Dobbs
Nick Mullens
Sam Darnold
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