Former Vikings QB Visits with Detroit Lions
Josh Frey
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Ahead of training camps getting started around the NFL, teams have been making final attempts to fill out their 90-man rosters, ensuring there is ample competition at each position for the final 53-man roster.
The Minnesota Vikings have been making plenty of their own moves prior to veterans arriving at camp on Tuesday, and so have their division rivals to the east. On Monday, the Detroit Lions hosted former Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater for a workout.
The workout was reported on Monday evening by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who tweeted, “The #Lions hosted FA QB Teddy Bridgewater today, per the wire. There has been interest for some time.”
In the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Rick Spielman and the Minnesota Vikings decided that with the 32nd overall pick, they would make a move to bring a young QB into their roster. That QB was, of course, Teddy Bridgewater.
Bridgewater took over the starting spot during his rookie season, and he quickly looked like a stud at the position. Then, in 2015, alongside the strength of Mike Zimmer’s defense, Minnesota won the NFC North with Bridgewater running the offense. The 11-5 Vikings lost in the Wild Card round to the Seattle Seahawks due to the infamous Blair Walsh kick, but things were looking positive for the young Viking.
Then, Bridgewater suffered his gruesome knee injury prior to the start of the regular season in 2016, Minnesota traded for Sam Bradford, and the 2014 first-round pick never started for the Vikings again.
Since his stint with the Vikings, Bridgewater has carved out a valuable role as one of the league’s better backup QBs. In 2018, he joined the New Orleans Saints as Drew Brees’ backup, and when Brees went down with a rib injury during 2019, Bridgewater led New Orleans to a 5-0 record in five starts, completing 67.9% of his passes for 1387 yards, 9 TDs, and 2 INTs during the year.
After leaving the Saints, he has been a journeyman across the league, spending time with the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins from 2020-2022. In those three seasons, he’s started 31 games and thrown for 7483 yards, 37 TDs, and 22 INTs while going 11-20 in his starts.
If Bridgewater were to join the Lions, he would once again take over a backup role behind starter Jared Goff, especially with Hendon Hooker potentially missing the beginning of the regular season due to his ACL tear while at the University of Tennessee late in the 2022 season. He is beginning training camp on Detroit’s Non-Football Injury list.
The Vikings will have to wait a long time before getting their first matchup against the Lions, with their first meeting not occurring until Week 16. They will also conclude the 2023 regular season by facing off in Week 18.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.