With Josh Freeman plugged in as the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback for Monday's game against the New York Giants, Christian Ponder once again finds himself as the backup and unsure about his future with the team.
Christian Ponder weighing future with Vikings
Ponder has not demanded a trade in the wake of Josh Freeman’s promotion to starting quarterback, but he remains open to a change of scenery.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sport
“I don’t know. Again, I have to figure out what’s best for me and everything and for this team,” he said Wednesday, via Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. “I don’t know if that’s staying here or going somewhere else.”
More: Panic time in Minnesota?
Ponder said he has not demanded a trade, but with the Oct. 29 trade deadline looming, the Vikings could very well be looking to deal their former first-round draft pick.
Ponder has not started a game since suffering a rib injury in Week 3. Matt Cassel led Minnesota to its first win of the season in Week 4 against the Steelers, but looked bad in a loss to the Panthers last Sunday. Ponder was cleared to play in the Carolina game, but was kept in a reserve role in favor of Cassel, a sign that the team was ready to move on without him.
The Vikings signed Freeman two weeks ago, shortly after the Buccaneers released him. He spent his first four full seasons with Tampa Bay, which selected him in the first round of the 2009 draft, but was benched four games into a rocky 2013 and subsequently released.
Ponder will serve as Freeman’s backup moving forward, and Cassel will be No. 3 on the depth chart.
The team stumbled out to an 0-3 start to the season with Ponder under center. In those three losses, he averaged 230 passing yards per game, threw two touchdowns and five interceptions, and held a QBR of 43.1.
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