Minnesota Vikings officially decline Christian Ponder’s fifth year option
By Josh Hill
In a move that generally surprised no one at all, the Minnesota Vikings have elected to not pick up the fifth year option on backup quarterback Christian Ponder, meaning the former No. 12 overall pick in the 2012 draft will be playing on the final year of his deal this season.
Ponder was hated almost as soon as he arrived as fans didn’t like the negative attention he brought from the national media who blasted the Vikings for reaching on a quarterback. From there, Ponder did himself no favors in consistently dropping the ball as a starter, although he managed to have a few good games here and there.
But his absence from the 2013 NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers because of a swollen elbow basically summed up his tenure with the Vikings as he was always there for Minnesota but always unable to provide anything of use.
His tenure isn’t technically over but with Matt Cassel in town for another two years and a quarterback likely to be taken in the first three rounds seems to signal the end of Ponder in Minnesota after this season.