If you thought that former (and potentially current) Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Christian Ponder would resent the team trading up into the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to pick Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, think again.
Per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, Ponder is happy to have Bridgewater's presence pushing him to be a better quarterback.
"There was an expectation that there was going to be a quarterback taken (by the Vikings) at some point in the draft," Ponder stated. "It's good for the team, it's good for Matt. It's good for everybody there's competition at the quarterback spot. He's great having in the quarterback room. He's a quiet guy, he's humble and he works hard, and I like having him around."
Even with the Vikings declining to pick up his contract option for 2015, Ponder remains optimistic about his future both with the team and in the league.
"I didn't expect them to," Ponder said. "(With) how things went down in the offseason and everything and last year (with how Ponder played), I expected that it wasn't going to happen. It's for my benefit."
"It was not even a guarantee to stick around unless I'm injured or whatever," Ponder added. "It gives me an opportunity. It has my options open after the season whether I have leverage to stay here or go somewhere else, where there's a better place for me to play."
"We'll see."
Follow our Minnesota Vikings team page for the latest Vikings news!
Back to the Minnesota Vikings Newsfeed