6 most disappointing Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks of all-time

Daunte Culpepper (1999 – 2005)

In the history of the Vikings, the team has never used a higher draft selection on a quarterback than when they picked former UCF signal-caller Daunte Culpepper with the No. 11 selection in the 1999 NFL Draft.

Culpepper sat on the bench for his entire rookie season and then in 2000 he was given the reins to the offense. Minnesota took a pretty big risk when they chose to put a guy under center who had zero starting NFL experience, but it appeared to be something that was going to work out after his first year as the team’s starter.

With Culpepper leading from under center, the 2000 Vikings got off to a 7-0 start and they eventually made it all the way to the NFC Championship. In his first season as the team’s starting quarterback, he threw for 3,937 yards and 33 touchdowns while also rushing for another seven scores.

Minnesota figured they had landed their next great passer with Culpepper. But little did they know, the franchise’s success with him under center wasn’t going to get any better than it did in 2000.

Culpepper was unable to lead the Vikings back to the playoffs again until the 2004 season and it didn’t result in the team earning another shot in the NFC Championship. A year later, he suffered a knee injury that cut his season short and it ultimately resulted in his tenure coming to an end in Minnesota.

For someone who is still the highest-drafted quarterback in Vikings history, most would think he would have been able to lead the team to more than just two playoff wins during his time in purple.