5 best Vikings deep-ball passers of the last 25 years
By Dustin Baker
2. Randall Cunningham (1997-1999)
Percentage:
- 2.89
Numbers:
- 864 pass attempts
- 25 completions of 40+ yards
- 15 TDs of 40+ Yards
Randall Cunningham joined the Vikings in 1997 after a year away from football. In his youth, Cunningham was a prototype quarterback fashioned in a run-happy style that was a rarity in the 1980s and 1990s. Then with the Philadelphia Eagles, his run-happy mentality caught up with him as he fractured his leg in 1993 in the fourth game of the season.
Fast forward to his Minnesota tenure and Cunningham led the Vikings to a very underrated playoff win in the Meadowlands over the New York Giants in 1997. For some reason, he was not tapped to start the 1998 season and instead, he ended up being a placeholder for Brad Johnson.
However, Cunningham assumed the starting role in Week 3 of the 1998 season. All he did that year was help guide Minnesota to its most prolific offensive season ever and a 15-1 record.
The 1998 campaign was bursting with deep balls. 60 percent of the completions of 40+ yards were brought down by Moss, 16 percent went to Cris Carter, and 16 percent went to Jake Reed. The other two completions were to Moe Williams and Robert Smith, respectively.