If there was one area coming into the season the Vikings were not worried about it was quarterback. Teddy Bridgewater was headed into his third season and at least in preseason it looked like things were pointing in the right direction.
That all changed on Aug. 31 when Bridgewater dislocated his knee and tore all of his major tendons. The Vikings didn’t waste any time, trading a first-round draft pick to Philadelphia for Sam Bradford just nine days before the regular season began.
Despite a 5-0 start, the Vikings are now looking like they’ll be missing the playoffs. The franchise now faces some big decisions on what to do with Bradford and Bridgewater.
Has Bradford done enough to return?
Bradford has played decently while replacing Bridgewater. He is completing 71.6 percent of his passes, for 3,245 yards and 14 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions – but the team is just 6-7 in games he’s started, and the team is scoring an average of 18.9 points per game (near the bottom of the league).
According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, the Vikings to plan to bring Bradford back next year.
Does it mean he’ll be the starter? What does it mean for Bridgewater?
Those answers may not be known until we know more about Bridgewater’s health. The Vikings still have not given any type of timeline on when or if Teddy will play football again.
Are there other options?
The short answer is – not much. Let’s face it, if a team has a “franchise quarterback” they probably aren’t going to allow that player to become a free agent.
Spotrac has put together a list of the top free agent quarterbacks for 2017.
- Kirk Cousins, Washington
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets
- Case Keenum, Los Angeles
- Brian Hoyer, Chicago
- Geno Smith, New York Jets
- Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay
Of this group, only Cousins generates some intrigue, but it’s hard to imagine Washington letting him get away. And he’d be pricey.
