Free agency update: Teddy Bridgewater signs with New York Jets

After bubbling under the surface last season, the New York Jets are hoping Teddy Bridgewater can lead them to glory.

There might not be a better marriage between rising team and player than Teddy Bridgewater and the New York Jets. After being more interesting last season than anyone gave them credit for, the Jets waited until late Tuesday afternoon before deciding to put together a very solid offseason haul.

In the span of a few hours, the Jets signed Isaiah Crowell, Josh McCown, Trumaine Johnson, and Teddy Bridgewater — the latter being perhaps the most interesting.

Bridgewater was looking like a franchise player in Minnesota before suffering a horrible knee injury in training camp two years ago. The Vikings have since moved on to Kirk Cousins, while Bridgewater lands in New York with a chance to prove everyone wrong.

Ditto for the Jets.

Neither the team nor player has high expectations from the general football public in 2018, which sets this up for a perfect test run. Josh McCown signed a $10 million deal to be the starter, but Bridgewater learning under his guidance is the best thing for him. The Jets have either struck gold by buying low on a potential franchise quarterback or have taken a flier on a guy they don’t even have to start next season.

Contract details

Bridgewater landed just a one-year deal, but he’s playing with so much to prove that this could end up being the best thing for him. One good — or even decent — season with the Jets could result in a ton of money somewhere else in 2019.

National reaction

McCown will be the starter in 2018, but it seems the Jets signing Bridgewater might be a contingency plan in case they don’t get a quarterback in the Draft.

Next: 2018 NFL Free Agent Tracker

Grade

This is a win-win for both parties. New York gets a potential franchise quarterback, or at the very least a guy they could trade if someone else comes along. For Bridgewater, it’s a chance to play with house money, as the expectations are low enough in New York that either no one will hold his failures against him or his successes will look even better. The Jets have given Bridgewater a mutual platform to showcase himself on, and they have nothing to lose and a lot to gain from whatever the result it.

Grade: B