Christian Ponder Reportedly Visiting the Raiders

The Christian Ponder era came to an end in Minnesota with the Shaun Hill signing. The only question left was whether Ponder would actually generate interest in the first days of free agency or have to wait until camp to catch on with some QB-needy team.

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We now have a partial answer to that big burning question. We still don’t know if Ponder will land a job in the coming weeks, but we do know he is at least generating some interest. Per a report from Mike Garafolo, Ponder is in Oakland on Friday to visit with the Raiders.

And why might the Raiders be interested in Ponder? Well, old Vikings OC Bill Musgrave is now there in the same capacity. After the OC’s year as QB coach in Philadelphia, it’s believed that Musgrave will incorporate elements of Chip Kelly’s fastbreak offense in Oakland. Would Ponder possibly be a good fit in that scheme?

Ponder was not a great fit in Bill Musgrave’s Vikings scheme which was much more plodding than anything Chip Kelly ever designed. It’s possible that there is no scheme ever designed in which Ponder can flourish, because it’s possible that Ponder is just terrible.

But Ponder does have some NFL games under his belt including a four-game stretch at the end of 2012 where he sort of helped him team get in the playoffs (though he himself was unable to appear in the team’s one playoff game that year). So, I guess that means he’s worth a look as a potential backup?

When you look at some of the players moving around, landing jobs as backup quarterbacks, you have to believe there’s a place for Ponder somewhere. The dream may not be entirely dead for Ponder yet. Though in Oakland he would be a clear #2 behind Derek Carr.

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