 Ponder with the Minnesota Vikings in 2012 | |||||||||||
| No. 7, 2, 5 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | February 25, 1988 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas) | ||||||||||
| College: | Florida State (2006–2010) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2011 / round: 1 / pick: 12 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Christian Andrew Ponder (born February 25, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He played for the Vikings, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers.
Ponder had an up-and-down career with the Vikings. He started all 16 games and helped lead the team to a playoff berth in 2012, but also suffered several injuries and inconsistent play, eventually being benched in favor of rookie Teddy Bridgewater in 2014; he totaled a 14–21–1 record in his four seasons with the Vikings. He then spent time in a backup role for the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, but never took another NFL snap before retiring in 2016.
Since December 2012, Ponder has been married to former ESPN personality Samantha Ponder.