Minnesota Vikings: 5 Free Agent QBs in 2012 If Christian Ponder Fails

It only took six weeks for the Leslie Frazier and the Minnesota Vikings to figure out that Mike Shanahan knew what he was doing when he benched Donovan McNabb last season in favor of Rex Grossman.

With the announcement on Wednesday that Christian Ponder is the Vikings' starting quarterback, it's the start of a new era and the end of a career for McNabb. 

After the horrible season McNabb and the Vikings have been having, Frazier had no choice but to make a change. While the season may be lost, his job is still on the line. There are 10 games, including two against the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers, for Frazier to prove he and his staff can coach in the NFL.

Frazier needs to have a contingency plan in case the first Florida State quarterback ever drafted in the first round fails. With one win already this season, the odds that the Vikings will win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes appear slim. 

Even if Ponder shows some promise, the Vikings will still need a serviceable back up ready to take over at a moment's notice. 

The Vikings have repeatedly signed a veteran quarterback in an attempt to shortcut the time necessary to develop a franchise quarterback.

Before bringing on McNabb, the Vikings have signed nine veteran quarterbacks over the past 19 seasons as either the starter or the first understudy: Jim McMahon (1993), Warren Moon (1994), Randall Cunningham (1997), Jeff George (1999), Bubby Brister (2000), Gus Frerotte (2003 and 2008), Brad Johnson (2005), Kelly Holcomb (2007) and Brett Favre (2009). The closest any of them led the the Vikings to a championship was when Cunningham and Favre led them and lost the NFC Championship game, both in overtime.

Here's an early look at five possible free agent options for the Vikings to pursue in 2012. 

Vince Young

With former Eagles quarterbacks Donovan McNabb at 1-5 and Kevin Kolb 1-4, odds are that Vince Young is bound to do better. In five years in Tennessee, Young led the Titans to a 30-17 record. 

Young will only be 28 next season, and given the right situation, he could be successful.

Kyle Orton

Kyle Orton might make a serviceable backup for Christian Ponder—after all, it took Tim Tebow almost a season and a half to displace him. 

In three years with the Bears, Orton had a 12-21 record. This improved to 21-12 in his three seasons with Denver. The problem is that the Broncos are looking to move him before the end of the season. The odds are, whoever makes a trade for Orton will want to have him signed to an extension.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

The only way the Vikings would be able to sign Ryan Fitzpatrick would be to promise him the starting job. 

Every season since 2008, the first with Cincinnati and the rest with Buffalo, Fitzpatrick has won only four games. With the Bills sitting at 4-2, it's a good bet he will set a career high this season.

Things have been so bad in Buffalo that they have given up one of their home dates to play in Toronto. Fitzpatrick is helping to make the Bills relevant again, and it's a good bet that the Bills will find a way to keep him.    

Shaun Hill

Perhaps Matthew Stafford's backup, Shaun Hill, could bring some of that Lions magic to the Vikings.

The Vikings brought back Brad Johnson and Gus Frerotte for a second shot with the team.

Signed as rookie free agent by the Vikings in 2005, Hill has spent the past two seasons in Detroit. In 10 starts for the Lions, he has gone 3-7—pretty good considering the Lions had won only eight games in the three seasons preceding 2011. 

Matt Flynn

Perhaps Green Bay's back up quarterback, Matt Flynn, could be the next Aaron Rodgers.

If Flynn were to get an opportunity in 2012, like Rodgers, he would spend five seasons on the bench watching and learning from a pretty good quarterback.

Unlike Rodgers, Flynn is not a first-round draft pick. Taken in the seventh round with the 209th pick, he might be the next Tom Brady, who was the 199th pick of the Patriots in the sixth round.