Teddy Bridgewater Might Return to the NFL
The Minnesota Vikings have started various quarterbacks in the last decade, but none has been as much of a “what if” as Teddy Bridgewater, who the team acquired in the first round of the 2014 draft to be their quarterback of the future. A devastating knee injury practically ended his tenure with the purple team.
Teddy Bridgewater Might Return to the NFL
Last year, Bridgewater announced that the 2023 season would be his last in the NFL. The then-Lions quarterback reflected on his status as a football player in an interview with the Detroit Free Press in December 2023:
“I was young and I was trapped in this lifestyle thinking that I was a football player 24-7, and when I got hurt I realized that I’m only a football player for three hours on a Sunday afternoon,” he said. “Outside of that, I’m Theodore Bridgewater, so it just put everything into perspective and it really helped me not even have to think about not being a starter (anymore). It’s like, ‘Man, I still got purpose.’ And my purpose is bigger than the game of football. Football is just a platform that I have.”
Exactly 11 months later, he has teased a comeback on X.
That state title run refers to his post-player career as a high school football coach for the Miami Northwestern Bulls, his alma mater. Bridgewater has led his team to a 7-2 record one year after a sub-.500 win percentage. His first playoff bout was won with a commanding 69-0 score.
A return to the NFL still seems like a longshot. When last playing, Bridgewater was a backup-level quarterback, and this late into a season, teams usually turn to their backups who are familiar with the playbook and the teammates rather than signing an external option.
Still, whenever a quarterback is getting hurt, the chance increases that Bridgewater actually returns to the big league.
Bridgewater ultimately spent four seasons with the Vikings.
The start of his career was indeed looking promising once the rookie stepped onto the field (during the injury-related absence of starter Matt Cassell) without suspended franchise player Adrian Peterson taking the load off him. In 13 games (12 starts), Bridgewater tabulated 2,919 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while adding roughly 200 yards and another score on the ground.
In his sophomore season, Minnesota’s number five racked up 3,231 passing yards, 14 touchdowns (plus three rushing), and nine picks. Pedestrian numbers were enough to guide the Vikings into the postseason with the league’s leading rusher, Peterson, and Mike Zimmer’s emerging defense. He needed a game-manager, and Bridgewater was just that. A match made in heaven.
The young quarterback reached a crossroads. Would he stay the type of passer who doesn’t lose his team any games but also can’t carry them to victories – a game manager – or would he emerge? Early signs in the preseason in 2016 were encouraging until disaster hit.
The infamous knee injury that no Vikings fan will ever forget. The starting quarterback destroyed his knee because of a non-contact injury in practice, costing him his 2016 season, but fortunately not his career. Regardless, the moment derailed his time in Minnesota.
The Vikings traded for Sam Bradford, who led the team to an 8-8 season. He also looked great in Week 1 in 2017 but went down with his own knee issues, and it became the Case Keenum show for the remainder of the season. Everyone expected him to stumble at some point and open the door for Bridgewater late in the year once he was ready to return, but it never happened.
After the season, all three passers left, and Kirk Cousins entered the building in the Twin Cities. For Bridgewater, an odyssey began. He signed with the Jets but was traded to New Orleans just a few weeks later to become Drew Brees’ backup. After two years and some solid performances whenever Brees was forced to sit out a game, Bridgewater started for the Panthers in 2020 and the Broncos in 2021 before heading to Miami to be Tua Tagovailoa’s backup.
The quarterback played in 30 games with the Vikings, starting in 28. He threw for 6,150 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. He has produced 75 passing TDs and 15,120 yards in his career.
Bridgewater recently turned 32, so he might still have some gas left in the tank. However, a future in coaching seems more likely, and he has the talent for that gig, as his team’s record shows.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt