Player No. 2
Randall Cunningham - QB (1998)
In 1996, Randall Cunningham was retired and working in Las Vegas when Vikings head coach Dennis Green asked him to return to the NFL. Previously, Cunningham had played 11 years with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he shined as a highly talented dual-threat quarterback.
The former Eagle joined Green and the Vikes in 1997 and started three games while passing for just over 500 yards and six touchdowns. In 1998, Cunningham was backing up Brad Johnson when he was inserted into a Week 2 game against the Rams when Johnson hurt his ankle.
Cunningham played so well that he remained the starter for the rest of the year. Minnesota happened to be loaded that season, and Cunnigham frequently found rookie Randy Moss and veteran Cris Carter for big plays. The Vikings offense finished ‘98 with the NFL’s best offense. Even better, the team set a then-league record with 556 points scored during the regular season.
In the playoffs, Minny thumped Arizona before losing a heartbreaker to Atlanta at home in the NFC Championship game. During the season, Cunningham passed for 3,704 yards, 34 touchdowns (career-best), and 10 interceptions, in addition to leading the league with a 106.0 passer rating. He was also selected for his first Pro Bowl since 1990 and received the Bert Bell Award for Player of the Year in the NFL.
In 1999, Cunningham had a rough start, passing for nine picks in the first six games. He was then benched in favor of Jeff George and spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons playing for Dallas and Baltimore, respectively.