The Sage Rosenfels trade spelled the end of the road for Gus Frerotte as a Viking. This afternoon, the team made it official by waiving the veteran QB, just days before they were to owe him a $250,000 roster bonus. Frerotte had expressed his desire to remain with the team, but only if he was given a chance to start. That never seemed very realistic however, with the other options available in trade and free agency.
Gus’s second stint with the Vikings began in a cloud of uncertainty: Tarvaris Jackson struggled through the first two games of last season, and Frerotte was inserted, reluctantly, by Brad Childress. Frerotte would start the next 11 games, looking great in some (vs. the Saints and Texans), okay in others and downright awful in a few (that Bears game with the four picks…ugly). His year would come to a premature end, when he injured his back in the first half against the Lions, leading to the return of T-Jack who played well enough the last few games to win back the starting job even after Gus had recovered. The great unanswered question remains: What if Chilly had yanked T-Jack at halftime of the Philly playoff game and let Gus try to lead a comeback?
Hopefully, the Rosenfels trade has stabilized our QB situation for at least the next couple of years, and we won’t have to worry anymore about yanking guys. In honor of Gus, who was absolutely integral to our playoff run last year, I present his most memorable 2008 moment:
Has anyone ever figured out what Charles Tillman was doing on that play? Checking out cheerleaders? Texting his brother? Scratching off lottery tickets?