Ranking the Top 10 QBs in Vikings History
A couple of tweets circulated on social media this week, opining on the Minnesota Vikings’ best quarterback in franchise history.
Ever wonder about the ranking of quarterbacks in Vikings history? From Tarkenton to Moon to Favre, here’s the definitive Top 10 list in franchise history.
Like many topics, ranking the purple and gold quarterbacks is highly subjective, influenced by nostalgia and debate. But it’s VikingsTerritory‘s turn to take a stab at the pecking order since 1961.
Accounting for longevity foremost, followed by statistical production and impact on the franchise, these are the Top 10 quarterbacks in Vikings history, ranked from good to greatest (No. 1 = best Vikings QB of all time).
Also keep in mind: these rankings are exclusive to each passer’s tenure in Minnesota. Rich Gannon’s time in Oakland or Brett Favre’s in Green Bay do not apply to these rankings.
10. Brett Favre
Favre would’ve ranked near the damn top of this list if it were about one-year impact, excitement, or vibes.
He utterly electrified the 2009 season, coming within a whisker of reaching the Super Bowl. But let’s face it: the man only stuck around for two seasons, and in 2010, he played abhorrently. The guy was washed.
Because of his one-hit wonder status, Favre lives at No. 10.
9. Randall Cunningham
You can copy-paste the above paragraph about Favre and apply it to Cunningham.
Cunningham was even more dynamic than Favre in 1998, whisking the Vikings to the 1998 NFC Championship. Of course, disaster struck in that game, but Cunningham will always live in Vikings lore for his high-flying 1998 efforts — just like Favre in 2009.
Like Favre, his follow-up season disappointed.
8. Rich Gannon
Gannon quarterbacked the purple team as a starter in 35 games from 1987 to 1992. Minnesota finished 19-16 in those contests, a rather Vikingsian win-loss record.
Later on, Gannon’s career completely took off in Oakland, and he came within 60 minutes of winning a Super Bowl in 2002.
In Minnesota, Gannon was decent. He was a rare example of a passer who took well into his 30s.
7. Warren Moon
Moon stopped by in the 1990s for a few seasons, tabulating two Pro Bowls, two playoff losses, and no postseason wins. His arrival’s excitement was palpable, fresh off his run-and-shoot days with the Houston Oilers, an era that also notoriously lacked a Super Bowl victory or appearance.
On the whole, Moon played well as a Viking. He just wasn’t elite. His production ended up being similar to Cousins’, at least on a per-season basis.
6. Brad Johnson
Somewhat quietly, Big Bad Brad — his name on TikTok — started 46 games in Minnesota in the mid-1990s and again in the mid-2000s. His Vikings teams tallied a 28-18 record on his watch, and Johnson effectively “managed games” in Minnesota.
He later won a Super Bowl in 2002 over the aforementioned Gannon and his Raiders.
Counting Down the Best QBs in Vikings History
The remaining five best QBs in purple and gold history remain.
5. Wade Wilson
Squads led by Wilson reached a 27-21 record, mostly in the 1980s and mostly on a quarterback carousel with the guy at No. 3 on this list.
Wilson delivered 12,135 passing yards, 66 touchdown passes, and 75 picks in purple. It’s worth noting that the league was different back then, and interceptions were a common occurrence.
He passed away in 2019 due to complications related to diabetes.
4. Kirk Cousins
Fans will know this man quite well — he held the big job from 2018 to 2023.
Cousins produced quite marvelous stats in six seasons but took heat for two reasons a) His contract was never, ever remotely close to team-friendly b) He never put the team on his back and dragged Minnesota to playoff prominence by himself as is the perception for passers like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, for example.
Minnesota split from Cousins during the 2024 offseason, opting for the J.J. McCarthy era, and he’s now a backup quarterback in Atlanta.
3. Tommy Kramer
Kramer started 110 games in purple and gold, outdoing Cousins in that regard by a season and a half’s worth of games. Minnesota also visited the Divisional Round of the postseason on Kramer’s watch a few times, something it only accomplished with Cousins once.
The Rice alumnus would’ve thrived in the pass-happy era of the NFL, and if transplanted into the 2010s and 2020s, he might’ve even outperformed Cousins.
Kramer is still active on social media, always cordial with Vikings fans.
2. Daunte Culpepper
Culpepper peaked in 2004, and if you want to know why he outranked Cousins and Kramer on this list, it’s because his apex was higher than those two.
He also led Minnesota to the Divisional Round thrice, which can be interpreted as a tiebreaker in these rankings.
1. Fran Tarkenton
The gold standard, Tarkenton is a Hall of Famer and revolutionized how quarterbacks played the sport. He alone gave birth to the tendency of a mobile quarterback, a trait so coveted in the contemporary NFL.
Tarkenton started 170 games for the Vikings, the equivalent of a full decade in current NFL speak, powered by 261 touchdowns in Minnesota and reaching the Super Bowl three times.
By a mile, he’s the best quarterback in Vikings history, and folks can only hope that J.J. McCarthy approaches his production.
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