The Minnesota Vikings have had some great quarterbacks in their long and storied history and these are the ten best.
Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Minnesota Vikings helmet sits on the sidelines during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
From Fran Tarkenton to Daunte Culpepper, the Vikings have had some very talented men line up behind center during their history.
Gritty journeymen like Gary Cuozzo and Brad Johnson have made their contributions to Vikings lore despite never putting up big numbers.
Legendary Hall-of-Famers like Warren Moon and Brett Favre have joined the Vikings late in their careers, hoping for one last shot at glory.
Young sensations like Tommy Kramer and the aforementioned Culpepper have excited fans with their great talent…and frustrated them by their failure to live up to their full potential.
Players like Joe Kapp and Randall Cunningham have come in for short stints and helped the Vikings go on improbable, but ultimately failed, championship runs.
These then are the top ten QBs in Minnesota Vikings history.
Aug 30, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; General view of Minnesota Vikings helmet on the field before a game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
10. Gary Cuozzo
Cuozzo played for the Vikings from 1968-1971 as an on-again/off-again starter.
In 1970 Cuozzo helped the Vikings go 10-2 and make the playoffs. He started eight games in 1971, going 6-2 and again helping the Vikings to a postseason berth.
Cuozzo’s overall record as a starter for Minnesota was 16-5. Of course in those days the Vikings were a defensive juggernaut and didn’t ask a whole lot of their quarterbacks.
Cuozzo’s best single game came in 1970 when he led the Vikings to a win over the Chiefs in a Super Bowl “rematch” and was given NFC Player of the Week honors for his efforts.
If Cuozzo is remembered at all today, it’s as the QB who helped bridge the gap between the Joe Kapp era and the second Fran Tarkenton era.
9. Brad Johnson
Baby-faced Brad Johnson was selected by the Vikings in the ninth round of the 1992 draft despite starting only one game as a senior at Florida State.
Johnson served as backup to the legendary Warren Moon before becoming the starter in 1996. Johnson was given the starting job for the Vikings in 1997 and again in 1998 but bowed out early due to injury in both seasons.
After the ’98 season, Johnson moved on to the Redskins. He would later move to Tampa Bay and become an unlikely Super Bowl champion.
Super Bowl ring in hand, Johnson returned to the Vikings in 2005 to serve as Daunte Culpepper’s backup.
Culpepper’s season-ending injury that year against Carolina pressed Johnson into service and the wily old veteran led Minnesota on a 7-2 run. The Vikings would come up just short of the playoffs.
Johnson was named the starter for Brad Childress’ first year in 2006 but played poorly and was replaced by rookie Tarvaris Jackson.
Though most of Johnson’s true accomplishments came away from Minnesota, he still did a lot to help the Vikings during his two stints in purple.
Next: We hated him until we loved him
Sep 5, 2015; Hattiesburg, MS, USA; Former NFL and Southern Miss Golden Eagle quarterback Brett Favre was honored at halftime of their game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
8. Brett Favre
The 2009 season will always be remembered as one of the great years in Vikings history. All thanks to Old No. 4.
After a legendary run as the Packers QB, Favre forced his way out of Green Bay and spent a year in veritable exile with the Jets.
In 2009 Favre got what he wanted all along: a chance to join the Vikings and get revenge against the Packers.
And he would indeed get that revenge.
With Favre at the helm, the Vikings twice blew away their division rivals from Green Bay on their way to a 12-4 record and a #2 overall seed in the NFC.
The Vikes easily dealt with Dallas in the divisional round of the playoffs before coming up against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC title game.
Favre would take a beating against the Saints thanks to Gregg Williams and his dirty tactics, but would still manage to keep the Vikings in the game all the way to the end.
Unfortunately, the Vikings’ chances at a Super Bowl berth went out the window when Favre threw across his body on the final drive of regulation and was intercepted by the Saints.
Favre and the Vikings should have been wise enough to end the relationship right there, but unfortunately Favre would come back for a return engagement in 2010.
That return engagement would lead to a terrible season and a painful end to Favre’s career on the frozen turf of TCF Bank Stadium.
Despite the forgettable 2010 campaign, and his subsequent reconciliation with Packer Nation, Favre is and always will be fondly remembered by Viking fans.
Jan 31, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Former quarterback Warren Moon on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors award ceremony at Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
7. Warren Moon
Warren Moon may be best known for his time with the Houston Oilers, but he actually had a couple of his greatest statistical seasons with the Vikings.
Two of Moon’s four 4,000-plus-yard passing seasons came with Minnesota. In 1995 with the Vikings, he tied his career high with 33 touchdowns.
Moon’s 606 pass attempts in 1995 is still a Vikings record.
Though Moon clearly put up some pretty amazing numbers in his three years in Minnesota, his Vikings tenure is still seen as disappointing as he was unable to deliver a championship.
Moon did lead the team to the playoffs in 1994 but the Vikings’ run that year ended in bitter disappointment when they were knocked out by the Bears in the first round.
Though Moon failed to bring a trophy to Minnesota, his time with the Vikings was definitely entertaining.
May 17, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NFL former quarterback Randall Cunningham at the 2015 Pac-12 Championships at Drake Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
6. Randall Cunningham
People thought Randall Cunningham was over-the-hill when he joined the Vikings in 1997 after spending a year out of football. They were wrong.
Cunningham signed with Minnesota in ’97 as backup to Brad Johnson and ended up starting the team’s playoff game against the Giants, a game the Vikings won largely thanks to Cunningham’s late heroics (and a little help from the refs).
Cunningham became the starter in 1998 just two games into the season and, along with rookie sensation Randy Moss, led the Vikings on one of the greatest offensive tears in history.
The Vikings finished that season 15-1 and looked on their way to the Super Bowl when they melted down late against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC title game.
Cunningham’s improbable run with the Vikings came to an end in 1999 when he was benched in favor of Jeff George.
Overall, Cunningham went 16-7 as Vikings starter and amassed a 2-2 playoff record. Not too shabby.
5. Wade Wilson
Had Tommy Kramer been able to stay healthy, Wade Wilson likely would be a totally forgotten player today.
Wilson was ostensibly the backup during most of his years with the Vikings but thanks to Kramer’s physical problems, he got more than his fair share of starting chances.
Wilson was right in the thick of it in 1987 when the Vikings made their improbable run to the NFC title game. He was the QB when Minnesota pulled their historic upset over the heavily-favored 49ers at Candlestick Park.
Wilson started 22 games over the next two years, going 14-8 and helping the Vikings to two more playoff berths.
Overall, Wilson had a more-than-respectable journeyman-type career, winding up with 12,135 yards and 66 TDs in his Vikings tenure.
Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Minnesota Vikings helmet sits on the sidelines during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
4. Joe Kapp
One of the all-time great characters in Vikings history, Kapp became the starting QB in 1967 after Fran Tarkenton forced his way out of Minnesota.
Kapp would play only three seasons with the Vikings but they would be three amazing seasons.
In 1968, Kapp led the Vikings to an 8-6 record and the first playoff appearance in franchise history.
The next season, Kapp and the Vikings built upon that success in a huge way, going 12-2 in the regular season and advancing all the way to Super Bowl III.
Sadly, the Vikings’ meltdown in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs set a tone for the franchise that they were unable to break out of.
Kapp left after the 1969 season and the Vikings were forced to proceed with a platoon of lesser quarterbacks until Fran Tarkenton returned in 1972.
Though Kapp never sealed the deal with Minnesota, he did play a huge part in establishing the franchise’s period of dominance under Bud Grant.
Kapp’s seven touchdowns in a game in 1969 is still tied for the NFL record.
Though Kapp is now in his seventies, he remains pretty feisty.
Next: He could never stay healthy
3. Tommy Kramer
Following a legend is never easy, as Tommy Kramer knows only too well.
Drafted in the first round in 1977, Kramer was tabbed as the man to replace Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton. Kramer got his chance in 1979 after Tarkenton finally retired from the NFL.
Unfortunately for Kramer, his career in Minnesota would be marked more by frustration than triumph.
Injuries played a big part in Kramer never living up to his full potential. His rookie season of 1979 would mark the only time he ever played all 16 games.
Kramer also had the misfortune of joining the Vikings at a time when the whole franchise was in flux. The great defenses of the ’70s were gone and in the early ’80s Bud Grant left as well.
Kramer would end up with only one season in which he won at least eight games as a starter. He would make only one Pro Bowl appearance, after the 1986 season. He would win only two playoff games in 13 years.
Kramer ended his Vikings career with 24,775 passing yards and 159 TDs. Decent numbers but not good enough to compete with the epic exploits of Tarkenton.
Dec 15, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings honor former quarterback Daunte Culpepper before the game with the Philadelphia Eagles at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings win 48-30. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
2. Daunte Culpepper
No quarterback ever came into the league with more raw physical ability than Daunte Culpepper. Unfortunately Culpepper never came close to living up to his great potential.
Some were surprised (and a bit dismayed) when Dennis Green selected Culpepper #11 overall in the 1999 draft.
Culpepper would sit his rookie season, being handed the keys to the Vikings’ supercharged offense in his second full year.
With receivers Randy Moss and Cris Carter split wide and Robert Smith in the backfield, Culpepper led the Vikings to the playoffs in 2000, throwing a league-high 33 touchdowns.
Culpepper would put up more huge numbers from 2002-2004, culminating in his extraordinary 4,717-yard, 39-TD season of 2004.
In ’04, Culpepper led the Vikings to a playoff victory against Brett Favre and the Packers at Lambeau Field, one of the most unlikely wins in franchise history.
That game would prove to be the high-point of Culpepper’s career.
The Vikings traded away the embattled Randy Moss after the 2004 season, and Culpepper would begin 2005 looking lost without his favorite target.
And then in the 8th game of the season Culpepper suffered a catastrophic knee injury that would prove to be the end of his Vikings career.
Culpepper would move on from Minnesota after 2005 but would never regain the form he showed during his time with the Vikes.
The question is still being asked by fans to this day: How much of Culpepper’s success was attributable to having Randy Moss on the field, and how much was due to Culpepper’s own ability?
Moss surely played a big part in Culpepper’s success, but Culpepper’s physical tools were undeniable, and for a brief moment he looked like a possible future Hall of Famer.
As with Tommy Kramer, Culpepper’s story is ultimately one of wasted potential.
Aug 8, 2015, Canton, OH, USA; Mick Tingelhoff (right) and presenter Fran Tarkenton pose with the bust the 2015 Pro Football Enshrinement Cermony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
1. Fran Tarkenton
Tarkenton’s history with the Vikings goes back to their very first season in 1961. The QB was picked by Minnesota in the third round of the ’61 draft and was the starter for the franchise’s very first game.
Though Fran himself had some success in his first few years with the Vikings, being named to the Pro Bowl in 1964 and 1966, the team did not win a ton of games and Tarkenton clashed with coach Norm Van Brocklin.
After the ’66 season, the combative Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants where he would spend the next five years.
In 1971 Tarkenton made his way back to Minnesota, now coached by Bud Grant, and helped the team achieve an unprecedented level of success.
Tark led the Vikings to Super Bowl appearances in 1973, 1975 and 1976. Sadly, he and the Vikes would go on to lose all three Super Bowls.
Tarkenton himself won the NFL MVP award in 1975. Fran finished his career as the all-time leading passer in Vikings history with 33,098 yards, a record he still holds (and may hold forever).
Fran entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. He returned to Canton in 2015 to help induct his old center Mick Tingelhoff.