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 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.

However, after hitting Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel on an interception return, Ponder separated his shoulder and missed the rest of the season.

[9] During the 2010 season, Ponder battled numerous setbacks to his health, including a swollen bursa sac in his throwing elbow.

Ponder was the first Seminole quarterback since Chris Weinke in 1999 to lead his team to victories over both its in-state rivals, Miami and Florida.

[11] At the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl, Ponder won MVP honors after throwing for 2 touchdowns and leading the South to a win over the heavily favored North.

[17] Three days after the McNabb trade, Ponder agreed to terms with the Vikings on a rookie contract that included $10 million guaranteed.

[19] Following a disastrous start to the season for the Vikings under McNabb, Ponder made his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter on October 16, 2011.

[20] It was announced on Tuesday, October 18, that he would make his first start the following Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, replacing McNabb as the starter.

Ponder helped the 1–5 Vikings give the undefeated Packers a close game and finished 13 of 32 for 219 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the 27–33 loss.

[22] Ponder was able to get his first win as an NFL starting quarterback the following week against his fellow 2011 draft mate Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on October 30, 2011.

But he also threw a crucial interception late in the fourth quarter to set up Tim Tebow and the Broncos for a game-winning drive.

The two passes set up a game-tying Blair Walsh field goal to send the game to overtime, where the Vikings prevailed.

In a game where running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 210 yards, the Vikings weren't able to overcome two interceptions from Ponder on potential scoring drives.

After taking criticism during his struggles through the year, Ponder joked to the media after the game that he didn't have the arm strength to make the throw, but did it anyway.

On the game's final drive, with the score tied at 34, Ponder threw a 25-yard completion to Michael Jenkins on third down, which helped set up a game-winning field goal and stopped the Packers from getting the ball back.

Ponder's Total QBR was 12 points higher than Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers's for the game, according to ESPN's system.

Ponder finished the season starting all 16 games, throwing 18 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, completed 62% of his passes, and had two rushing scores.

[35] According to ESPN's Total QBR system, Ponder finished the league as the 15th rated quarterback ahead of former Pro Bowlers Jay Cutler, Josh Freeman, and Matt Cassel.

"[37] During the home loss to Cleveland in week three, Ponder was booed by some Vikings fans as they also chanted for backup quarterback Matt Cassel.

[39] Cassel led the Vikings to their first win of the season, but following the team's bye week struggled badly in a home loss to Carolina.

On September 28, Ponder saw his first regular season action filling in for Bridgewater when he injured his ankle late in his first career start, which was a 41–28 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Ponder did little more than hand the ball off to rookie running back Jerick McKinnon as the Vikings preserved and added to their lead in the game.

Four days later, Ponder got his lone start of the season when Bridgewater was ruled out hours before the Thursday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers.

The game went downhill quickly for the Vikings and especially for Ponder, as he struggled on offense early and threw two interceptions in the second quarter that led to Packers' touchdowns en route to a 28–0 halftime deficit.

Ponder entered training camp playing with Oakland's second team offense behind starter Derek Carr but ahead of Matt McGloin.

[57] A week after being waived by Denver, Ponder generated interest from the Cincinnati Bengals, but ultimately went unsigned as the season came to a conclusion.

On August 16, 2016, Ponder signed with the San Francisco 49ers on a one-year deal following a season-ending injury to Thad Lewis and the unknown health status of Colin Kaepernick.

Ponder attempted a comeback to play in the NFL under the tutelage of QB guru Brian Gottlieb, but he did not sign to another team after San Francisco.