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Matt Cassel opted out of his contract with the Vikings and Josh Freeman hits free agency next month after his run on the Minnesota bench, which leaves Christian Ponder as the only quarterback with a contract to play for the Vikings next season.

General Manager Rick Spielman said Friday that he’s anxious to see how Ponder looks working with offensive coordinator Norv Turner and quarterbacks coach Scott Turner this offseason. As a result, he says Ponder won’t be leaving the team before the start of next season.

“Christian will be here; I don’t anticipate anything — him not being here,” Spielman said, via Master Tesfatsion of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

There’s not much reason for the Vikings to approach things any other way. They’ve already signaled that they’re planning to select a quarterback at some point in the draft and Ponder’s $1.7 million salary makes him a reasonably priced backup for that player or someone else they acquire during the offseason.