The Vikings Contacted Jeff Garcia
By Dan Zinski
Despite the way things often look, it seems the Vikings do have an actual plan when it comes to the quarterback position.
According to a new report, that plan at one point included Jeff Garcia.
The story comes via the Gilroy (California) Dispatch, which quotes Garcia’s father Bobby talking about the opportunities that cropped up for his 40-year-old son this offseason – including one that might’ve brought him to the Vikings in the event of Brett Favre‘s retirement.
“Minnesota had called [Jeff] and said ‘If Favre doesn’t play are you ready to go?,'” Bobby told the paper. “But, you know what? Favre is going to play.”
Garcia, who hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL since late December 2008, also reportedly got a call from New Orleans. But, in the end Garcia spurned all advances from NFL teams and elected to sign with the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL. Because he just wants to play football, damn it.
And what, exactly, is the significance of this story beyond its value as a juicy little off-season tidbit?
For one thing, it shows that the Vikings are not 100% certain that Favre will be back. And for another thing, it seems to demonstrate that they are not 100% confident in their back-ups Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels.
Overall, it proves that the Vikings realize what a precarious situation they’re in regarding the most important position on the field.
Hopefully, that situation will get resolved without the Vikings having to place anymore calls to people as far off the radar as Jeff Garcia.
Update: Brad Childress has flat-out denied Bobby Garcia’s claim that the Vikings contacted Jeff. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s Brad Childress 2, quarterbacks named Jeff 0.
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