Quick Facts

Christian Andrew Ponder, better known as Christian Ponder, is a former American football quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings selected him with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and in 2013, he helped the team go to the playoffs. He is best known for having played for the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings. During his senior year at Florida State, he was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as well.

In 2004, he started at quarterback and completed his passes for 1,500 yards and seven touchdowns. He rushed for 911 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior while also passing for 1,214 yards and 20 scores. Scout.com listed him as the 20th-ranked quarterback prospect, “The Dallas Morning News” named him to their all-district first team, and Rivals.com placed him as the 14th-ranked pro-style quarterback and the 50th-ranked college prospect from Texas.

How much is the Net worth of Christian Ponder?

The versatile Christian Ponder had a $12 million net worth. In addition, he earns a respectable salary of over $800,000. His professional career has brought him widespread acclaim. He possesses the ideal personality. Also, He played in the NFL for six seasons, earning $12,546,345, according to spotrac. He spent $880,000 on a two-story brick and stone home in Lake Minnetonka in 2012, but after sixteen months he reportedly sold it for $1.095 million. In addition, his career as a football quarterback is his main source of income.

Where was Christian Ponder born? Information Regarding His Family, Country, and Education

Christian Andrew Ponder, who goes by the name Christian Ponder, was born in Dallas, Texas, in the United States on February 25, 1988. He is an American citizen and a member of the White American race. He also identifies as a Christian, and both his race and religion are white. As of 2021, Ponder will have turned 33, and according to his birthdate, he is a Pisces. Christian Ponder is one of many father-son teams that have both played under Bobby Bowden, who led the Seminoles until the end of the 2009 season.

His father, David Ponder, was a defensive lineman for Florida State from 1980 to 1983. Christine Ponder is his mother’s name. Jon Ponder is the name of his other sibling. Ponder played football while attending Colleyville Heritage High School, where he also received his schooling. He earned his MBA after two and a half years at Florida State with a 3.73 GPA, a degree in finance, and is currently pursuing a second graduate degree in sports management.

What is the Professional Career of Christian Ponder?

College Career

Christian Ponder began his football career in high school, where he was the starting quarterback and threw for 1,500 yards and seven touchdowns in 2004, as opposed to Florida State, where he redshirted his true freshman season in 2006 and sat out the entire season. Later, in 2007, he filled in for starting quarterback Drew Weatherford when Weatherford, a senior, was named the starter. He made his debut in each of the 13 contests, finished with 177 completions on 318 attempts for 2,006 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also ran for 423 yards and four touchdowns on 119 attempts.

Christian was recognized as the team’s most valuable offensive player at the conclusion of the season. He was one of the top passers in the country in terms of yards and passing efficiency in 2009 through the first eight games of the season, leading the ACC in passing average per game. After striking Clemson cornerback DeAndre McDaniel on an interception return, Ponder separated his shoulder and was forced to sit out the remainder of the season despite throwing for more than 2,700 yards and 14 touchdowns. Ponder had considering entering the NFL a year early.

His ambitions for a career were dashed, at least for a year. In 2010, he took over as the team’s starting quarterback once more. His best season came in 2010, his senior year and the only one he spent playing for Jimbo Fisher. He was the first Seminole quarterback to defeat both of his team’s intrastate rivals, Miami and Florida, since Chris Weinke did it in 1999. In addition, he received the Bobby Bowden Award, given to the finest student-athlete among FBS institutions, the James Tatum Award, given to the nation’s top student-athlete in 2010, the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award, and other honors.

Minnesota Vikings

Following Cam Newton, Jake Locker, and Blaine Gabbert as the fourth quarterback chosen in the 2011 NFL Draft, Christian was chosen by the Minnesota Vikings with the 12th overall pick. He and the Vikings came to an agreement on a rookie deal that contained $10 million in guaranteed money. On October 16, 2011, during the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ 39-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, Ponder made his NFL debut. In that game, he completed 9 of 17 passes for 99 yards.

On Tuesday, October 18, it was revealed that he would start for the first time the following Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, taking McNabb’s place as the starter. In his debut try as a starter, he completed a play-action pass of 72 yards to Michael Jenkins. Two plays later, he completed a brief pass to Visanthe Shiancoe for his first career touchdown. In the 27-33 loss, he finished 13 of 32 for 219 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions to help the 0-5 Vikings keep the unbeaten Packers close.

The next week, on October 30, 2011, he defeated Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers to earn his first victory as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He concluded the season tossing 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, tallying a 2-8 record as a starter as the Vikings went 3-13 for just the second time in franchise history. In the tight 24-21 game, he threw for 236 yards and a touchdown and had a passer rating of 102.7.

Later, the Vikings hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars to kick off the 2012 campaign. With only 14 seconds left in the contest, Devin Aromashodu was the recipient of a 26-yard completion from Ponder. Christian had possibly the best game of his career up to that point, completing 21 of 35 passes for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and rushing for a third touchdown on a 23-yard run, as the Vikings played the San Francisco 49ers when they came home as an underdog.

More on Career

The game was won by the Vikings 24-13, and Ponder received accolades from NFL experts. On December 2nd, in the fourth of those losses, he battled terribly against the Packers at Lambeau Field. He completed a season-long 65-yard pass to Jarius Wright, setting up his third touchdown pass of the game. He finished the season as the 15th rated quarterback, ahead of previous Pro Bowlers Matt Cassel, Josh Freeman, and Jay Cutler, according to ESPN’s Total QBR metric. Additionally, he began the 2013 campaign as the starter at quarterback, but the Vikings opened the year 0-3 and Ponder struggled in defeats in Detroit, Chicago, and at home against Cleveland. He completed nearly 67% of his throws, tossed five touchdown passes, ran for two more touchdowns, and had a quarterback rating of 86.5, all indications that he has improved since the season began.

When Ponder had to leave the game against the Bears on December 1 due to a concussion, he made his final start of the year. He helped the Vikings win the game and started the season’s final four games. Overall, the Vikings were 5-10-1 for the year, and starter Ponder had a 2-6-1 record. After a poor 2013, his future with the Vikings seemed in doubt, but on September 28, he played in his first regular-season game, filling in for Bridgewater after the quarterback suffered an ankle injury late in his first start of the season, a 41-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Because the Vikings decided not to exercise a fifth-year option with him, he became an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. He started the majority of games for the Vikings from 2011 to 2013, compiling a 14-21-1 record as a starter. As of the 2016 season, he is 10th in passing touchdowns and ninth in quarterback yards with the Vikings. Additionally, he holds several rookie quarterback records for the company.

Oakland Raiders

On March 13, 2015, Ponder agreed to a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders that featured a $1.5 million signing bonus. He played with Oakland’s second offense during training camp, trailing starter Derek Carr but ahead of Matt McGloin. He returned to Minnesota during the preseason and played in a game against the Vikings, who booed him. In the end, Ponder went 7 for 11 for 69 yards. Christian had interest from the Philadelphia Eagles after being released by Oakland, but he was not signed. He participated in tryouts for the Tennessee Titans on November 3 and the Dallas Cowboys in September, but he was once again unsigned.

Denver Broncos

On November 25, 2015, Christian joined with the Denver Broncos to serve as the team’s backup quarterback while Peyton Manning recovered from injuries. He sat out games against New England and San Diego to learn the playbook, however on December 8 he was released before ever playing a down. He played for two different teams in 2015, went through two more tryouts, and at least two more teams expressed interest in him.

San Francisco 49ers

On August 16, 2016, Ponder agreed to a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers after Thad Lewis suffered a season-ending injury and it was unclear how Colin Kaepernick would fare. There was no signing bonus or guarantee involved in the $800,000 contract.

His wife disclosed on her Instagram page that Ponder had previously declined other NFL opportunities in order to support his family after signing with the 49ers. On October 7, 2016, it was revealed that numerous teammates thought Ponder should start after starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s poor performance. Ponder’s performance in practice, according to head coach Chip Kelly, is what got him a uniform.

Who is the wife of Christian Ponder?

Christian Ponder is a husband and father. On December 17, 2012, he wed ESPN reporter Samantha Steele. Ponder messaged her on Twitter, and the two eventually began dating. After two months, the pair made the decision to get married. They traveled to a courthouse in Hudson, Wisconsin before dining at Arby’s for their wedding supper. The following April, the two engaged in a formal ceremony. Their first child, a daughter named Bowden Saint-Claire Ponder in 2014.

Christian’s college football coach at Florida State, Bowden Ponder, was the inspiration for the name. In 2017, Samantha announced the birth of the couple’s first child on Twitter. They gave him the name Robinson True and explained that he was named after Jackie and David (Robinson), two courageous individuals who weren’t scared to stand by their beliefs and choose the harder path. Ponder currently splits his time between New York City and Arizona with his wife. Ponder is straight, if one were to consider that.

Body Stats: What are his height and weight?

Christian Ponder stands at a height of 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and weighs about 230 lb (104 kg). He has dark brown eyes and brown hair. Ponder’s ethnic background is likely one of the factors contributing to his brash and incredibly alluring attitude. Furthermore, he has an athletic body type.

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