7 greatest quarterbacks who were drafted by the Minnesota Vikings
By Adam Patrick
Brad Johnson
- Draft Year: 1992
- Draft Round: 9th
- Draft Pick: No. 227
It doesn’t seem like a crazy thought to have to believe that the Vikings likely weren’t expecting Brad Johnson to ever really make much of an impact for their franchise when they used a ninth-round draft pick on him in 1992.
But Johnson proved a lot of people wrong in his NFL career, and in a Minnesota uniform, he was able to experience a bunch of success.
Johnson got his first big opportunity in 1996 when Warren Moon was sidelined with a significant injury. Johnson ended up leading the Vikings into the playoffs that season by going 5-3 in eight starts.
Johnson kept the starting job in 1997 and he performed well enough to help Minnesota earn another trip to the postseason.
Unfortunately for him, he dealt with some injury issues of his own, and it resulted in the veteran quarterback watching the Vikings’ magical 1998 season from the sidelines.
After he was traded to Washington in 1999, Johnson returned for a second stint with Minnesota in 2005.
He was originally brought in to be a backup for the Vikings in 2005. But then Daunte Culpepper suffered a serious knee injury and Johnson was forced back into the starting lineup for nine games during the 2005 season.
The 2006 campaign was his final season in Minnesota and his final time as a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL.
In seven years with the Vikings, Johnson threw for 11,098 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 48 interceptions.