NFL Rumors: Could Vikings’ Christian Ponder land with Falcons, Packers, Panthers or Saints?
Although the Minnesota Vikings did not pick up the fifth-year option on quarterback Christian Ponder, they reportedly have not given up on him yet.
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However, other reports suggest the Vikings may be intrested in trading Ponder.
With the Vikings nabbing former Louisville Cardinals’ signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater with the last pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and re-signing veteran Matt Cassel, Ponder could be the odd man out.
Chris Wesseling of NFL.com believes that Ponder is the most likely player to be traded during the summer.
"The Vikings have brought back Matt Cassel, drafted Teddy Bridgewater as the quarterback of the future and declined Ponder’s 2015 option. So why are they prepared to waste first-team reps on a quarterback who has fallen out of their plans? The logical inference is an attempt to rebuild some semblance of trade value. Ponder still offers higher upside than the average NFL backup. Former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is now the Eagles quarterbacks coach. Former quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson is now the Giants running backs coach."
Wesseling lists the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints as potential destinations for Ponder. Each team makes sense to some extent. In each case, the team has either had injury problems or could face potential injury problems because of their style of play at the position and in each case, Ponder would make be a pretty good fit in the system because he is a pretty good athlete and get out of the pocket and move when need be.
Ponder, a former Florida State Seminole, was originally selected with the 12th-overall pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. In his career, he has completed 610 of 1,013 passes for 6,436 yards with 38 touchdowns and 34 interceptions.