Teddy Bridgewater left the Louisville football program better than he found it. In three seasons as a Cardinal, he recorded 9,817 passing yards and 72 touchdowns. He also added 170 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.
As the predecessor to Lamar Jackson, he often can get overlooked for the impact he had on this program. But, he had a huge impact on this program and helped lay the groundwork for the success that this program is still currently having.
With an impressive college resume, he was drafted into the NFL by the Minnesota Vikings and was slotted to have a lengthy career in Minneapolis. However, unfortunately, in 2016, he suffered a torn ACL and a dislocated knee which took him out of the lineup for an entire season.
In October 2017, he returned to practice still as a member of the Vikings. But, unfortunately, he could not settle back into the offense and the Vikings declined his fifth-year option, making him a free agent at the end of the 2017 season.
In 2018, he signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets and proceeded to bounce around the league since then. Since leaving the Jets, he has made stops in New Orleans, Carolina, Denver, and Miami. And now he is back on the market.
Yesterday, Justin Melo of The Draft Network wrote an article detailing the three destinations that would work best for Teddy Bridgewater this upcoming season.
The Los Angeles Rams could really use a backup quarterback because they currently do not have a second quarterback on the roster behind Matthew Stafford. Their mid-season acquisition of Baker Mayfield off of waivers helped them temporarily last season, but the Rams could not compete with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offer in the offseason.
So, Mayfield went down to Tampa, which could leave an opening for a veteran quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater to slot into their roster.
Teddy Bridgewater could return to the NFC North, but this time he could join the Detroit Lions. Currently, the backup for last season’s starter Jared Goff is Nate Sudfeld, but an upgrade to the former Louisville quarterback would be exponential.
With an opportunity to compete for the divisional title, adding an insurance policy like Bridgewater could be game-changing for Head Coach Dan Campbell and company.
Kyler Murray is expected to miss the first part of the 2023 season after he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus last season. As of now, the Cardinals’ backup quarterback is Colt McCoy. But, this is yet another situation that could be aided by the services of a former starting quarterback in the league.
Especially because the new Cardinals Head Coach, Jonathan Gannon, and Teddy Bridgewater have something in common: they both went to the University of Louisville. Jonathan Gannon also served as a Student Assistant and a Graduate Assistant at Louisville from 2003-2006. So, these two seem like a match made in heaven as they share similar experiences and would again share the mascot of a Cardinal.