Minnesota Vikings: Every QB in franchise history, ranked

10. Gary Cuozzo (1968-1971)

Served as Johnny Unitas‘ backup in Indianapolis before moving to Minnesota to backup Joe Kapp. When Kapp left, Cuozzo and Bob Lee became the QB tandem holding down the fort. Cuozzo started 12 games in 1970, leading the Vikes into the playoffs where they were quickly dispatched by San Francisco. The Vikes went with a three-way platoon in 1971 – Cuozzo, Lee and Norm Snead – and managed to go 13-3, but again Minnesota went out in the first round of the playoffs. Two straight early playoff exits convinced the Vikes to bring back Fran Tarkenton. Cuozzo finished his Vikings career with 3,552 yards, 18 TDs and 23 INTs.

9. Brad Johnson (1992-1998, 2005-2006)

Brad Johnson’s first chance to start came in ’96 after Warren Moon was injured, and he performed well enough to win the #1 QB job for the following year. Johnson’s performance in ’97 helped propel the Vikings to an 8-4 record but a neck injury forced him to give way to Randall Cunningham, whose playoff heroics provided a preview of things to come. Johnson’s early-season injury in ’98 set the stage for Cunningham’s epic year and spelled the end of Johnson’s first tenure in Minnesota. Johnson would win a Super Bowl ring with Tampa Bay before returning to the Vikings to backup Daunte Culpepper. A heroic run of games in 2005, in relief of an injured Culpepper, once again secured Johnson a starting job for the following year. Brad Childress would put an end to Johnson’s time in Minnesota by benching him midway through ’06 in favor of his guy Tarvaris Jackson.

8. Brett Favre (2009-2010)

Brett Favre brought high drama back to Minnesota. Favre’s mere arrival at Winter Park warranted a helicopter chase. Everything Favre did on the practice field was big news. Favre began living up to the hype with his memorable game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Lewis against the 49ers. Brett led the Vikings to a 12-4 regular season record, and passed the team to a mighty stomping of the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs. And then the NFC title game happened. The drama would continue in 2010, but it would not be the fun kind of drama. After an offseason filled with will-he-or-won’t-he speculation, the hollowed-out shell of Favre returned to the field for a pathetic swan song that finally and abruptly ended on the frozen fake-tundra of TCF Bank Stadium. Though Favre never delivered a Super Bowl, he sure as heck delivered thrills. And quotes.

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7. Warren Moon (1994-1996)

The Warren Moon era in Minnesota lasted three years, resulted in some huge passing numbers and brought exactly zero playoff wins. The Vikes’ best chance to make a run with Moon came in 1994 but they were shockingly defeated at home by the Bears in the first round. The next year, Moon passed for over 4,200 yards with 33 touchdowns but the Vikes only went 8-8. Great as Moon was, his arrival coincided with the beginning of a bad era of defense in Vikings history. In ’94, the Vikes’ D finished 5th in yards-allowed. In ’95 that ranking dipped to 20th. The ’96 D was marginally better but Moon played only half the season thanks to injuries. Dennis Green knew how to build an explosive offense, but the way he neglected the D was a travesty.

6. Randall Cunningham (1997-1999)

Cunningham was pouring concrete – no really, literally pouring concrete – when Dennis Green lured him out of retirement to backup Brad Johnson. Cunningham’s easy bench-ride ended when Johnson hurt his neck and all Randall did then was lead the Vikings into the postseason and on to a (questionable) comeback win over the Giants. Randall went back to the bench to start 1998 but was soon called upon again, and weren’t Cris Carter, Randy Moss and Vikings fans grateful? The ride was exhilarating until that car crash in the NFC title game. History would not repeat itself in 1999, though Jeff George would pick up for Cunningham and lead the Vikes back to the postseason. Cunningham’s final numbers as a Viking: 23 starts, 5,680 yards, 48 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 2 playoffs wins and one big what-should-have-been.

5. Wade Wilson (1981-1991)

Before he was Deadpool, Wade Wilson spent ten years as Tommy Kramer‘s backup in Minnesota. Kramer’s tendency to get hurt a lot meant Wilson saw plenty of action as a starter. Wilson’s most shining moment came in the 1987 playoffs when he led the Vikings to a stunning upset victory over the heavily-favored 49ers (the game will soon be featured on YouTube for those wish to relive this amazing slice of Vikings history). Wilson’s best year overall was ’88 when he led the league in completion percentage (61.4) and made the Pro Bowl. Given Tommy Kramer’s tough injury luck, the Vikings were very lucky to have Wilson on-board.

4. Joe Kapp (1967-1969)

Kapp was always known for being feisty and if this video from a few years back is any indication he still has plenty of hot sauce on his nachos. Kapp only spent three years in Minnesota but that was more than enough time for him to leave an indelible stamp on franchise history. Leading the team to its first-ever Super Bowl appearance was a big part of that. Kapp also became the first Vikings quarterback to lose a Super Bowl, but that’s how it goes. Kapp made the Pro Bowl in ’69 with 19 touchdowns in 237 pass attempts. The defensive-minded Vikings went 23-12-3 in Kapp’s starts. If there’s a prototype of a gritty quarterback, it has to be either Kapp or Philip Rivers.

3. Tommy Kramer (1977-1989)

Nos. 3 and 2 are both incredibly talented players who, largely because of injury, never scaled the heights they should have scaled. Tommy Kramer was a first-round pick out of Rice in 1977 and in 1979 he became the Vikings’ full-time starter. He put up over 3,000 yards every year for a three-year stretch but the Vikings were in a down period and never made a serious run. Kramer started only 21 games from ’82-’84 due to injuries but came back strong in 1986, throwing for 3,000 yards and making his only Pro Bowl. The injury bug bit again in 1987 and he missed out on the Vikings’ playoff run. Kramer’s career petered out over the next few years and the Vikings finally moved on. When he was in there, Kramer was undoubtedly a terrific player with a particular flair for the dramatic (who can forget the legendary Hail Mary game). But his career overall was a disappointment.

2. Daunte Culpepper (1999-2005)

Culpepper was the guy nobody wanted: not the fans, not his teammates, not anyone except Dennis Green. In the end Green was vindicated. Culpepper was elevated to starting status in 2000 and led the Vikings into the playoffs (what happened in the NFC title game is best left unmentioned). In 2002, Culpepper kicked off a run of three straight seasons where he surpassed 3,000 yards, the high-water-mark coming in 2004 when he posted numbers that don’t even look real: 4,717 yards, 39 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 110.9 QB rating. Then 2005 happened. The Vikings traded away Randy Moss and Culpepper just didn’t look like the same player. Daunte’s season came to an end against Carolina when he tore up his knee. As it turned out, he would never play for the Vikings again. Culpepper’s “what might have been” story is the saddest in team history.

1. Fran Tarkenton (1961-1966, 1972-1978)

Tarkenton was a third-round pick and needless to say he exceeded expectations. Sadly, the Vikings didn’t even have him for a big chunk of his prime because original coach Norm Van Brocklin didn’t like the way he scrambled around. Thankfully Bud Grant had the good sense to bring Tarkenton back. With Tark at the helm, Minnesota dominated the 1970s, going to three Super Bowls in the decade. That Tarkenton and the Vikes never sealed the deal remains a big stain on his legacy and the history of the franchise. Super Bowl futility aside, Tarkenton was an epic player who to this day is considered the prototype of the running QB. Long before Cam Newton thrilled fans with his mix of talents, Tarkenton sent Vikings Nation into paroxysms of joy with his fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants exploits. Norm Van Brocklin was an idiot for wanting Fran off his lawn. Bud Grant on the other hand didn’t care how Tarkenton got it done, as long as he got it done. There was a reason Grant was a great coach.