Christian Andrew Ponder (born February 25, 1988) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. He played for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. He played college football at

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...

, and was drafted by the

with the 12th overall pick in the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York ...

. Ponder had an up-and-down career with the Vikings. He started all 16 games and helped lead the team to a playoff berth in 2012, but also suffered several injuries and inconsistent play, eventually being benched in favor of rookie

Teddy Bridgewater Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Miami, Miami, Florida, he graduated from Miami Northwestern Senior Hi ...

in 2014; he totaled a 14–21–1 record in his four seasons with the Vikings. He then spent time in a backup role for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

and

, but never took another NFL snap before retiring in 2016. Since December 2012, Ponder has been married to ESPN personality

Samantha Ponder Samantha Ponder (née Steele; born December 11, 1985) is an American sportscaster who is the host of ''Sunday NFL Countdown'' on ESPN. Prior to hosting Sunday NFL Countdown, Ponder worked as a reporter/host for ESPN college football and as a bas ...

Early years

Ponder was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

, and grew up in

Grapevine, Texas Grapevine is a city and suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States, with minor portions extending into Dallas County and Denton County. The city is located in the Mid-Cities suburban region betwe ...

. His father, David Ponder, played college football for

as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

from 1980 to 1983, and thus Christian Ponder is one of several father-son duos who have both played for

Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler Bowden (; November 8, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was an American college football coach. Bowden coached the Florida State Seminoles of Florida State University (FSU) from 1976 to 2009 and is considered one of the greatest colle ...

, who coached the Seminoles until the end of the 2009 season. Christian Ponder attended

Colleyville Heritage High School Colleyville Heritage High School (CHHS) is a public secondary school in Colleyville, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The school is a part of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District and serves freshmen through senior students i ...

, where he played football. In 2004, he was the starting quarterback and threw for 1,500 yards and seven

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

s. As a senior, he passed for 1,214 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 911 yards and 12 touchdowns.Player Bio: Christian Ponder
, Florida State University. Retrieved August 4, 2009. ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''The Galves ...

'' named him to their all-district first team.

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Spor ...

named him the 20th-ranked quarterback prospect, while

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heck ...

rated him the 14th-ranked pro-style quarterback and the 50th-ranked college prospect from Texas.Christian Ponder
Rivals.com. Retrieved August 4, 2009. He received scholarship offers from Baylor,

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part o ...

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

, and

Texas Christian Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Discip ...

.Christian Ponder Profile
Scout.com. Retrieved August 4, 2009.

College career

In 2006, Ponder sat out his true freshman season at Florida State on

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

status. In

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

, he served as the back-up behind starting quarterback

Drew Weatherford Andrew Skillern Weatherford (born June 22, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Florida State University from 2004 to 2008. High school career Weatherford attended Land O' Lakes High School in Pasco Coun ...

. Ponder saw action against

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

when Weatherford was taken out of the game due to an injury in the second quarter. Although Florida State lost, 40–21, Ponder completed eight out of 18 passing attempts for 105 yards and one touchdown. Before the 2008 season, Ponder was named the starting quarterback ahead of senior Weatherford. ''

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami. and completed 177 passes on 318 attempts for 2,006 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also made 119 rushing attempts for 423 yards and four touchdowns.Christian Ponder Stats
ESPN. Retrieved August 4, 2009. The Seminoles finished the season with a 9–4 record, including a victory over

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

in the

Champs Sports Bowl The Pop-Tarts Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played in Orlando, Florida, at Camping World Stadium. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group which also organizes the Citrus Bowl and the Florida Clas ...

. At season's end, Ponder was named the team's most valuable offensive player. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, Ponder was well on his way to a career season when he suffered a season ending shoulder injury at Clemson. Through the first eight games of the season, he led the ACC in passing average per game and was one of the national leaders in yards and passing efficiency. He threw for over 2,700 yards and 14 touchdowns and considered jumping to the NFL a year early. However, after hitting Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel on an interception return, Ponder separated his shoulder and missed the rest of the season.Brian Landman
Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder out for the year, needs shoulder surgery
This ended his professional hopes, at least for one year. He resumed his role as the starting quarterback in 2010. Before the 2010 season, Ponder was named to the

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best ...

watch list."Ponder selected to 2010 Maxwell Award watch list"
Retrieved on July 11, 2010 Florida State launched a campaign promoting Ponder as a Heisman Trophy candidate in July 2010. During the 2010 season, Ponder battled numerous setbacks to his health, including a swollen bursa sac in his throwing elbow. He re-injured the elbow numerous times during the season, and had to have it drained three times. Ponder's 2010 season, his senior year and only year under coach

Jimbo Fisher John James "Jimbo" Fisher Jr. (born October 9, 1965) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies Football, Texas A&M Aggies. Previously, Fisher was the head coach at Florida State Seminol ...

, was his most successful. Ponder was the first Seminole quarterback since

Chris Weinke Christopher Jon Weinke (born July 31, 1972) is an American football coach, former professional football player, and former professional baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolle ...

in 1999 to lead his team to victories over both its in-state rivals,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. He also won the 2010 James Tatum award, given to the nation's top student-athlete, and a

National Football Foundation The National Football Foundation (NFF) is a non-profit organization to promote and develop amateur American football on all levels throughout the United States and "developing the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the dr ...

Scholar-Athlete Award. He also won the Bobby Bowden Award presented to the top student athlete among FBS schools. Ponder graduated from Florida State in two and a half years with a degree in finance and a 3.73 GPA, then an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

, and is studying for his second graduate degree, in

sports management Sport management is the field of business dealing with sports and recreation. Sports management involves any combination of skills that correspond with planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, leading, or evaluating of any organi ...

. At the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl, Ponder won MVP honors after throwing for 2 touchdowns and leading the South to a win over the heavily favored North.

College statistics

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

2011 season

Christian Ponder shown at Ford Field in Detroit Michigan

Ponder was selected 12th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the

. Ponder was the fourth quarterback selected in the draft behind

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the ...

Jake Locker Jacob Cooper Locker (born June 15, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Washington, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans eighth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. A backup during his en ...

, and

Blaine Gabbert Blaine Williamson Gabbert (born October 15, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri before leaving early for the 2011 NFL Draft after h ...

. Ponder did not have a typical rookie offseason following the draft due to the

2011 NFL lockout The 2011 National Football League Player lockout was a work stoppage imposed by the owners of the NFL's 32 teams that lasted from March 12, 2011, to July 25, 2011. When the owners and the NFL players, represented by the National Football League ...

. Late in July, the Vikings traded for veteran quarterback

Donovan McNabb Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football a ...

to start and mentor Ponder. Three days after the McNabb trade, Ponder agreed to terms with the Vikings on a rookie contract that included $10 million guaranteed. Ponder embraced the competition from McNabb. "The guy deserves a starting job. He's been in the league for a while," Ponder said of McNabb. "My mentality is to be able to go in and compete and try to get that job from him. He deserves to be the starting quarterback. Somewhere down the road I'm going to push to take that over and we'll see." Ponder announced at his introduction press conference that he intended to wear jersey number 7 in the NFL. Following a disastrous start to the season for the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

under McNabb, Ponder made his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter on October 16, 2011. In a game where the Vikings were blown out 39–10, Ponder completed 9 of 17 passes for 99 yards in his first real action. It was announced on Tuesday, October 18, that he would make his first start the following Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, replacing McNabb as the starter. On Ponder's first career pass attempt as a starter he hit Michael Jenkins on a 72-yard playaction pass. Two plays later, he threw his first career touchdown, completing a short pass to Visanthe Shiancoe. Ponder helped the 1–5 Vikings give the undefeated Packers a close game and finished 13 of 32 for 219 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the 27–33 loss. Ponder was able to get his first win as an NFL starting quarterback the following week against his fellow 2011 draft mate Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on October 30, 2011. He threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, and had a passer rating of 102.7 in the close 24–21 game. After a bye week, the Vikings faced off against the Packers again, this time on

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...

Lambeau Field Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing ...

. Ponder didn't perform as well as he did in the first game against Green Bay, and the Vikings were blown out 7–45. Ponder finished out the next seven games with ups and downs. He threw two touchdowns with three interceptions against the

in a losing effort. After a loss on the road to the

Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

, the team played a home game against the

. Ponder threw three touchdowns and set a Vikings rookie record with 381 yards passing. But Ponder also threw a crucial interception late in the fourth quarter to set up Tim Tebow and the Broncos for a game-winning drive. The next week, Ponder was injured in a game against the rival

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

Ford Field Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the annual Quick Lane Bowl college football bowl game, state champ ...

, in which backup quarterback

Joe Webb Joseph Webb III (born November 14, 1986) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He also plays as a kick returner. After playing college football for the UAB Blazers, Webb was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth roun ...

nearly brought Minnesota to a victory after Ponder threw two interceptions earlier in the game. After a home blowout loss to the NFC South champion

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, Ponder was injured in each of the final two regular season games, at the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

and in the season finale against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

. Ponder finished the season throwing 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, compiling a 2–8 record as a starter as the Vikings finished 3–13 for only the second time in franchise history.

2012 season

During the 2012 offseason, many analysts including KC Joyner of ESPN believed that Ponder would have a breakout year in 2012. Joyner cited the Vikings' lack of talent around him as the reason why Ponder didn't reach his full potential in 2011. The Vikings opened the 2012 season at home against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. Trailing with just 14 seconds left in the game, Ponder completed a 26-yard pass to Devin Aromashodu, followed by a 6-yard pass to Kyle Rudolph. The two passes set up a game-tying Blair Walsh field goal to send the game to overtime, where the Vikings prevailed. After the game, Vikings head coach

Leslie Frazier Leslie Antonio Frazier (born April 3, 1959) is an American football coach and former cornerback who is the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the he ...

spoke positively about Ponder's end to regulation. "That's what this league is made of—quarterbacks who can take you down in the last two minutes of a game," Frazier said. Following a close week two loss in Indianapolis, the Vikings returned home as an underdog playing the San Francisco 49ers. Ponder had arguably the best game of his career to that point, completing 21 of 35 passes for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and rushing for another touchdown on a 23-yard run. The Vikings won the game 24–13 and Ponder drew praise from NFL analysts. "He excels at buying time while keeping his eyes downfield until his weapons uncover. He has also done a fantastic job protecting the football, and has yet to throw an interception this season. There aren't a ton of playmaking quarterbacks who protect the football. Fortunately for the Vikings, they seem to have one," NFL Media Analyst

Daniel Jeremiah Daniel Jeremiah (born December 5, 1977) is an analyst for the NFL Network, and a writer with NFL.com. He also serves as a color commentator for Los Angeles Chargers games on KFI radio. Jeremiah was a starting quarterback at Northeastern Louisi ...

said after the performance. Through four games, the Vikings were 3–1, equaling their win total from the previous year. Ponder led the NFL in completion percentage during the month of September with 68% and was also the last quarterback in the NFL to turn the ball over. The Vikings were a surprise to many around the league with a 5–2 record. Ponder struggled over the next five games and the Vikings lost four of five. During that stretch, Ponder's completion percentage fell to just 56%, as he threw the same number of interceptions (5) as he did touchdowns over those five games. Vikings General Manager

Rick Spielman Richard Spielman (born December 2, 1962) is an American football executive who was most recently the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 2012 to 2022. He was promoted to general manager in 2012 af ...

stood behind Ponder during his rough patch of games. "I know everybody in this organization believes Christian Ponder is our guy," Spielman said, via Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com. "And I have full, 100 percent belief that Christian Ponder's going to be our quarterback heading into the future." In the fourth of those losses, Ponder struggled mightily at Lambeau Field in a game against the Packers on December 2. In a game where running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 210 yards, the Vikings weren't able to overcome two interceptions from Ponder on potential scoring drives. "I'm disappointed in myself. But I'm even more disappointed that I let down the veteran guys...I've had way too many turnovers since I stepped on the field in a Vikings uniform," Ponder said after the loss. The Vikings stood at 6–6 and were still in the playoff picture. Minnesota first won a home game against Chicago on December 9 and then were victorious in St. Louis the following week, a game that included a Ponder rushing touchdown to give the Vikings an early lead. The next week, the Vikings traveled to Houston to play the 12–2 Texans. Going into the game as underdogs, the Vikings defense stifled the Texans' offense, holding them to just six points. Ponder led the Vikings offense to 23 points, including a touchdown throw to Kyle Rudolph. He also added 48 yards rushing on the ground, as the Vikings controlled the game. After the game, Ponder immediately turned to the final game of the regular season. "We obviously have a big one next week, and if we don't win that one, this one doesn't mean anything. Our No. 1 goal is to make the playoffs." Ponder said In the regular season finale, the Vikings hosted the division champion Packers. If the Vikings won the game, they would earn a wildcard berth, but if they lost, division rival

would earn the final playoff spot. In addition to 197 rushing yards from Peterson, Ponder threw three touchdown passes and posted a career-high rating of 120.2. After jumping out to a 13–0 first-half lead, the Packers were able to make a comeback on the Vikings. With the game tied at 27 in the fourth quarter, Ponder completed a season-long 65-yard pass to

Jarius Wright Jarius Wright (born November 25, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, where ...

, which set up his third touchdown pass of the game. After taking criticism during his struggles through the year, Ponder joked to the media after the game that he didn't have the arm strength to make the throw, but did it anyway. On the game's final drive, with the score tied at 34, Ponder threw a 25-yard completion to Michael Jenkins on third down, which helped set up a game-winning field goal and stopped the Packers from getting the ball back. The win put the Vikings into the playoffs and also cost the Packers a first-round bye. Ponder's Total QBR was 12 points higher than Packers' quarterback

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to t ...

's for the game, according to ESPN's system. The game's result set up a rematch between the two teams the following week to open the playoffs. However, Ponder was forced to miss the playoff game six days later, due to a deep

triceps The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. It is the muscle principally responsib ...

bruise he suffered during the first half of the previous game. Despite being able to finish the week 17 game, Ponder stated his arm wasn't capable of making the necessary throws. His backup,

, who hadn't played a quarterback snap all season, took his place. The Vikings lost 24–10 in Lambeau Field. The regular season was deemed a success for the Vikings. The team had their largest turnaround in team history going from three wins to 10. Adrian Peterson was named the league's

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

, rushing for 2,097 yards, just nine yards short of breaking the single-season rushing record. Ponder finished the season starting all 16 games, throwing 18 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, completed 62% of his passes, and had two rushing scores. According to ESPN's Total QBR system, Ponder finished the league as the 15th rated quarterback ahead of former Pro Bowlers Jay Cutler,

Josh Freeman Joshua Tyler Freeman (born January 13, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Kansas State University, and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Freeman became t ...

, and

Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots an ...

2013 season

Ponder went into the 2013 season as the starting quarterback. However, the Vikings started 0–3 and Ponder performed inconsistently in losses at Detroit, at Chicago, and home to Cleveland. Despite criticism from media and the fans, some defended Ponder. Following their week two game, Chicago Bears cornerback

Charles Tillman Charles Anthony Tillman (born February 23, 1981), nicknamed Peanut,Donnelly, MikeCharles Tillman - Not Your Typical 'Peanut'(January 18, 2007), nflplayers.com, Retrieved on July 25, 2007. is an American former professional football player who ...

spoke of how impressed he was by Ponder's play. "My respect level has gone up tremendously for Ponder," Tillman said. "He did some great things out there." During the home loss to Cleveland in week three, Ponder was booed by some Vikings fans as they also chanted for backup quarterback

. Following the game, Adrian Peterson stuck up for Ponder, calling the boos unfair. "I got his back. He scored two touchdowns and kept us in the game," Peterson said. Ponder missed the week four game against Pittsburgh that was played in London due to a rib injury sustained during the Cleveland game, when team doctors did not let him play because they were concerned of the fractured rib being too close to his heart. Cassel led the Vikings to their first win of the season, but following the team's bye week struggled badly in a home loss to Carolina. In the midst of Cassel taking over for the injured Ponder, the Vikings also signed

and thrust him into the starting role less than two weeks after being signed. On a

game, the Vikings scored zero points offensively in a loss to the Giants as Freeman performed worse than both Ponder and Cassel had to that point. Not only did Freeman perform poorly, but he also suffered a concussion, opening the door for Ponder to return to the starting lineup. Ponder said he was going to play more loosely, adding that he had already been benched so he had nothing to lose, an attitude he carried forward as he started the next six games for the Vikings. Ponder showed improvements over the start of the season as he completed nearly 67% of his passes, threw five touchdowns, rushed for two touchdowns, and had a quarterback rating of 86.5. His final start of the season came on December 1, when Ponder was forced to leave the game against the Bears due to a concussion. Cassel finished the game, leading the Vikings to a win and started the final four games of the season. In total, the Vikings finished the season 5–10–1 and Ponder went 2–6–1 as a starter.

2014 season

Following the disappointing 2013 season, Ponder's future with the Vikings fell in doubt. With the Vikings obtaining a new coaching staff and having drafted notable quarterback prospect

in the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

, Ponder was effectively rendered a third-string quarterback. Despite this, Ponder stated that he wished to stay with the Vikings, stating that he had learned a lot from new offensive coordinator

Norv Turner Norval Turner (born May 17, 1952) is an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL). An offensive assistant for the majority of his coaching career, he came to prominence as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator during t ...

. During the preseason Ponder was booed by the Vikings fans in a home preseason game, to which many in the organization, including new head coach

Mike Zimmer Michael Zimmer (born June 5, 1956) is an American football coach for the Colorado Buffaloes. Prior to this, Zimmer was with Jackson State, both college programs being led by Deion Sanders. He previously also served as the head coach of the Minn ...

and receiver

Greg Jennings Gregory Jennings Jr. (born September 21, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Western Michigan ...

, stuck up for him. "You boo one of us, you boo all of us," Jennings was quoted as saying. After being inactive for the first three games of the regular season as a third stringer, Ponder moved up the depth chart after Cassel was placed on

Injured Reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

after a foot injury, while the rookie Bridgewater served as the starter for the remainder of the season. On September 28, Ponder saw his first regular season action filling in for Bridgewater when he injured his ankle late in his first career start, which was a 41–28 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Ponder did little more than hand the ball off to rookie running back

Jerick McKinnon Jerick Deshun McKinnon (born May 3, 1992), nicknamed Jet, is an American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and was drafted by the Minnesota Vi ...

as the Vikings preserved and added to their lead in the game. Fans in attendance who had previously booed Ponder, cheered his name like they had chanted "Teddy" earlier in the game. Four days later, Ponder got his lone start of the season when Bridgewater was ruled out hours before the

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...

game against the Green Bay Packers. The game went downhill quickly for the Vikings and especially for Ponder, as he struggled on offense early and threw two interceptions in the second quarter that led to Packers' touchdowns en route to a 28–0 halftime deficit. Ponder picked up the pace somewhat after the half and spearheaded a pair of Vikings scoring drives, including running for the Vikings' lone touchdown in the 42–10 loss. Following the game, Ponder told the media the game was embarrassing and that it was difficult because he did not know when he would get another chance to play. With Bridgewater healthy, Ponder remained the backup for the rest of the season but did not appear in another game with the Vikings. Because the Vikings chose not to extend a fifth-year option with Ponder, he became an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

at the end of the season. He accrued a 14–21–1 record as a starter for the Vikings, having started the majority of games for them from 2011 to 2013. As of the 2016 season, Ponder is eighth in Vikings' history in quarterback yards and 10th in passing touchdowns. He also holds multiple rookie quarterback records for the franchise.

Oakland Raiders

On March 13, 2015, Ponder signed with the

on a one-year contract that included a $1.5 million signing bonus. In Oakland, he was reunited with offensive coordinator

Bill Musgrave William Scott Musgrave (born November 11, 1967) is an American football coach and former player who is the senior offensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He is also a former quarterback, offensive ...

, who coordinated the offense on the Vikings during Ponder's first three seasons with Minnesota. Ponder entered training camp playing with Oakland's second team offense behind starter

Derek Carr Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, where he twice received first-team All- MWC honors, and w ...

but ahead of

Matt McGloin Matthew James "Matt" McGloin (born December 2, 1989) is a former American football quarterback. He was the starting quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 2010 to 2012. McGloin was the first walk-on quarterback to start a ...

. During the preseason, Ponder returned to Minnesota in a game where he was booed by Vikings fans. Ponder finished the game 7 for 11 with 69 yards. Following the preseason, the Raiders released Ponder in favor of having McGloin be their backup to Carr for the season. Following his release from Oakland, Ponder generated interest from the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

but was not signed. Ponder also had conversations about returning to Oakland after the first regular season game once Carr was injured, but once his injury was proven not serious, Oakland opted not to sign him. During the regular season, Ponder worked out for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

in September and the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

on November 3 but again went unsigned.

Denver Broncos

On November 25, 2015, Ponder signed with the

to be the third-string quarterback, while

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Col ...

nursed injuries. Ponder grew up a Broncos fan and quickly flew out to Denver the week of Thanksgiving to sign with them, once the Broncos called him. Ponder was inactive for games against New England and San Diego as he learned the playbook but was waived on December 8 before ever being active for a game. A week after being waived by Denver, Ponder generated interest from the Cincinnati Bengals, but ultimately went unsigned as the season came to a conclusion. In total, Ponder spent the 2015 season on two different teams, worked out for two others and received interest from at least two more teams.

San Francisco 49ers

On August 16, 2016, Ponder signed with the

on a one-year deal following a season-ending injury to

Thad Lewis Thaddeus Cowan Lewis (born November 19, 1987) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the assistant wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the St. L ...

and the unknown health status of

Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt d ...

. The contract was worth $800,000 and included no signing bonus or guarantees. Ponder had previously worked out for the Cardinals just days before the 49ers called him. After signing with the 49ers, Ponder's wife revealed on her Instagram account that Ponder had previously turned down other NFL jobs for the sake of his family. On October 7, 2016, it was reported that after bad play by starting quarterback

, several teammates believed Ponder should start. Ponder was active as the backup quarterback for the final three games of the season, as backup to Colin Kaepernick, who took over for Gabbert. Ponder did not make an appearance in any of the games. Head Coach

Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl game ...

said Ponder's performance in practice led to him being in uniform. Throughout the season, there was speculation that teammates and some members of the front office wanted Ponder to play. Ponder's contract was not renewed following the firing of General Manager

Trent Baalke Trent John Baalke ( ), (born February 14, 1964), is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Early years A Rosendale, Wisconsin native, Baalke earned his bachel ...

NFL career statistics

Minnesota Vikings franchise records

* Most passing yards in a game by a rookie: 381 ( December 4, 2011)

Personal life

Ponder married ESPN reporter Samantha Steele on December 17, 2012. The couple first started seeing each other after Ponder messaged her on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

. After two months, the couple decided to get married, driving to a

Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, its population was 12,719. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The village of North Hudson is direct ...

courthouse before having their wedding meal at

Arby's Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, ''Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)". Arby ...

. The two held a formal ceremony the following April. Their first child, a daughter named Bowden Saint-Claire Ponder was born in 2014. Bowden Ponder was named after Christian's college football coach at Florida State,

and also goes by the name "Scout" derived from Samantha's favorite novel "

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

." In 2017, Samantha revealed on Twitter that the couple's first son was born. They named him Robinson True, and said that "he was named after

Jackie Jackie or Jacky may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters named Jackie or Jacky ** Jackie, current ring name of female professional wrestler Jacqueline Moore ** Jackie Lee (I ...

and

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(Robinson)... two men of courage who weren't/aren't afraid to hold to their convictions and take the road less traveled." Ponder and his wife live in Arizona and New York City.

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponder, Christian 1988 births Living people American football quarterbacks Colleyville Heritage High School alumni Denver Broncos players Florida State Seminoles football players Minnesota Vikings players Oakland Raiders players People from Colleyville, Texas People from Grapevine, Texas Players of American football from Texas San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex