New York Jets working on a deal with Teddy Bridgewater
The New York Jets’ pursuit of Kirk Cousins proved fruitless, so they’re in line to settle for Teddy Bridgewater.
The New York Jets are clearly in the market for a quarterback, with rumors of a major pursuit of Kirk Cousins or using the 6th overall pick in April’s draft as the most common threads. But with Cousins off the board and a few other options spoken for, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has reported the Jets are working on a deal with Teddy Bridgewater.
When Bridgwater was last seen in significant action, he completed over 65 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North and nearly (should have?) won a playoff game in 2015. The promise of a breakout campaign in 2016 was derailed by a career-altering left knee injury, and Bridgewater returned for a few garbage time snaps in Week 15 last season.
No team knows more about Bridgewater’s progress from that knee injury than the Vikings, so it’s interesting they willingly let him hit free agency with no apparent effort to keep him. But the opportunity to sign Cousins is a rare one that could not be passed up.
Bridgewater will presumably be brought in by the Jets on a one-year deal. So he has an opportunity to establish his health, prove he can play at a high level and hit the open market again next offseason.
The #Jets are working on a deal for QB Teddy Bridgewater, source said. It is not his only option. But it is their first choice.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
But it’s easy to see similarities between Bridgewater and Mike Glennon, who was signed to essentially a one-year commitment by the Chicago Bears last offseason. Glennon made four unremarkable starts early last season, then was usurped by rookie Mitch Trubisky. Signing Bridgewater will not stop the Jets from drafting a quarterback at No. 6, and perhaps that’s the point in him being their “first choice” now.
The Jets did not lose enough games last season, with Josh McCown mostly under center, to get a top-five choice in this year’s draft and thus have their pick of the top quarterbacks in a deep class.
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If Bridgewater is signed and somehow starts much more than a handful of games in 2018, the Jets will be a year too late in any attempt to lose as many games as possible. But for once, they may have a viable quarterback of the future in place via that sixth overall pick.