As he returns to where his NFL career started and nearly ended, QB Teddy Bridgewater begins his seventh professional season as the Minnesota Vikings play host to the Denver Broncos in Week 1 of the preseason. In a career full of highs and the lowest of lows, what led to Bridgewater’s departure from the Vikings in 2017?
A first-round pick, Teddy Bridgewater’s career was set to be special with the Vikings
There are some players in sports who you cannot help but cheer for whether you wear that team’s color on game days or not. Since his days at the University of Louisville, Bridgewater has been one of those players. From his charismatic smile to dynamic playstyle, Bridgewater quickly endeared himself to fans.
Leading the Cardinals during his sophomore and junior years to back-to-back bowl victories, Bridgewater was a hot name heading into the 2014 NFL Draft. In three seasons, Bridgewater completed 781 of his 1,142 attempts (68.4%) for 9,817 yards for 72 touchdowns and 24 interceptions (12 of which came during his freshman campaign). While never one to be described as fleet of foot, Bridgewater did record 6 additional touchdowns on the ground.
Thanks to his calm demeanor on the field and precision accuracy, the Vikings selected Bridgewater with the No. 32 pick in 2014. This was seen as a potential steal. If Bridgewater had been eligible a year sooner, he likely would have been the first QB off the board. It was an extremely weak class headlined by E.J. Manuel (No. 16) and Geno Smith (No. 39). Instead, Bridgewater was the third QB selected after Blake Bortles (No. 3) and Johnny Manziel (No. 22).
As a rookie, Bridgewater had an award-winning season for the Vikings
Bridgewater entered the season as the second-string quarterback, behind veteran Matt Cassel, but beating out Christian Ponder, who was relegated to the third spot on the depth chart. It did not take long for Bridgewater’s era to begin for the Vikings.
Bridgewater made his NFL debut on September 21, 2014, against the New Orleans Saints, entering in relief of the injured Cassel. He finished the game with 150 yards passing on 20 attempts. He was named the starting QB for the remainder of the season after Cassel — who broke his foot in the aforementioned game — was placed on IR.
Just a week later, in his first start, Bridgewater threw for 317 yards while guiding the Vikings to a win over the Atlanta Falcons. This was a sign of things to come. After missing Week 5 (ankle), Bridgewater started the rest of the season, going 6-7 as a starter. He finished his rookie year with 2,919 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and an 85.2 passer rating. He also rushed for 209 yards and a touchdown.
In January, Bridgewater was selected as the QB of the 2014 NFL All-Rookie team. He became the second Vikings QB ever to win the award. Bridgewater also won the 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year award, as voted by fans.
Success continued in his second season for the Vikings
Starting all 16 games, Bridgewater led the Vikings to an 11-5 record, which included a trip to the playoffs in a Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks in one of the coldest games in NFL history. The Vikings fell to the Seahawks 10-9 after Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard kick with 22 seconds left on the clock.
While his stats were not earth-shattering, Bridgewater got the job done, completing 65.3% of his passes (292 of 447) for 14 touchdowns to 9 interceptions while adding 192 yards and 3 TDs on the ground. For his efforts, Bridgewater was named to the 2016 Pro Bowl.
This was also the final time Bridgewater was a starter for the Minnesota Vikings.
Teddy Bridgewater suffered a career-altering knee injury in 2016
Horrific. Horribly grotesque. Mangled. Something like a war wound.
These were the terms used by medical professionals, including his surgeon Dan Cooper, to describe Bridgewater’s knee.
During a Vikings team practice on August 30, 2016, Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury to his left leg. While no cameras were there, we should probably be thankful. Reports are players were either in shock, in tears, or some even threw up at what happened to their starting quarterback and captain.
A subsequent MRI confirmed that he tore his ACL and suffered other structural damage, including a dislocation of the knee joint. Bridgewater underwent a 4 1/2-hour surgery on Sept. 8, 2016, and then went in again eight weeks later to relieve stiffness in the knee.
“It’s mangled,” Cooper said in an interview. “You make the skin incision, and there’s nothing there. It’s almost like a war wound. Everything is blown. It’s certainly the worst knee dislocation in sports I’ve ever seen without having a nerve or vessel injury … It’s a horrific injury. You’ve torn every single thing in your knee and it’s hanging on by one ligament on one side like a hinge.”
Bridgewater would go on to miss the entire 2016 NFL season. With an initial timeline of 17-19 months looming over his head, the Vikings declined the fifth-year option on Bridgewater’s contract, making him a free agent after the 2017 season. But this did not stop his therapy, only fueling his desire to get back onto the field.
While knocked down onto one knee, Bridgewater would rise again
In May, Bridgewater began throwing and doing individual work at Vikings minicamp and then started the 2017 NFL season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
On October 16, he was cleared to practice but could not return to action for three more weeks. Then, on November 8, 2017, in a blowout game, a goal was fulfilled. Coming in during the fourth quarter, Bridgewater made his return to the field in relief of Case Keenum, receiving a standing ovation that still gives chills up your spine.
After nearly two years of working to resume his career, Bridgewater was finally back. He went on to play for the Saints (2018-2019) and the Panthers (2020). During the 2021 offseason, the Denver Broncos traded their sixth-round pick of the 2021 NFL Draft for Bridgewater, where he is now competing for the starting role against Drew Lock.
Bridgewater now uses his journey as motivation as he reflects on his return
“I found myself thinking more about it lately than I have in the past, just about the day I was injured, because I use it as motivation,” Bridgewater said after Wednesday’s practice. “Before, I used to brush it off and say, ‘Man, it happens,’ and keep going. Now it’s like, ‘Man, here I am. I could have been counted out, and I almost had to get my leg amputated.
“When I wake up in the morning I’m blessed I get an opportunity to put my feet on the ground and go out here and play football. It’s the game that I love to play, so I have so much fun playing this game. More fun than I’ve ever had the more that I think about what I went through here.
“The biggest takeaway from all my stops is that I learned I’m a survivor and no matter the circumstance, no matter the situation, it’s just how are you going to survive? You can lay down and be eaten alive, or you survive and keep hunting. So that’s been my mindset,” Bridgewater said.
All reunions in the Broncos vs. Vikings game
While the main storyline of this preseason game, Bridgewater is one of 11 people making reunions this week in the Broncos vs. Vikings game.
George Paton – Broncos GM
Klint Kubiak – Vikings OC
Kelly Kleine – Broncos executive
Andre Patterson – Vikings assistant head coach
Brian Pariani – Vikings tight ends coach
Phil Rauscher – Vikings OL coach
Pat Shurmur – Broncos OC
Britton Colquitt (P, Broncos)
Mike Boone (RB, Broncos)
Shamar Stephen (DL, Broncos)
Brett Jones (C, Broncos)
Teddy Bridgewater (QB, Broncos)
Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA). You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.