Teddy Bridgewater is earning a fortune in free agency
By John Buhler
Teddy Bridgewater keeps finding ways to win games backing up Drew Brees. The New Orleans Saints quarterback will make a killing in his upcoming free agency.
When the New Orleans Saints lost starting quarterback Drew Brees for roughly six weeks after suffering a ligament injury in his thumb, some people thought that the Saints would fall to the wayside to some degree in the ultra-competitive NFC. But what those people didn’t realize was that the Saints had the best backup quarterback in the NFL in Teddy Bridgewater.
Since Brees succumbed to injury against the Los Angeles Rams on the road back in Week 2, Bridgewater has now won all four of his starts this season for the Saints. New Orleans has defeated the Seattle Seahawks on the road, the Dallas Cowboys at home, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home and now the Jacksonville Jaguars down in Duval County, 13-6.
Bridgewater completed 24 of 36 passes for 240 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. While his 6.7 yards per passing attempt wasn’t great, his quarterback rating for the ball game was 94.7. Simply put, Bridgewater outplayed fellow NFL backup elevated into a starting role in Jacksonville’s Gardner Minshew II, as Minshew Magic might now sadly be a thing of the past.
No, this was not a game by Bridgewater that will merit him getting a statue commissioned in his honor down on Canal Street in New Orleans, but this is the type of game that will earn him quite a bit of coin once he hits his impending free agency. That is if the Saints are willing to let him walk.
Bridgewater had been a Pro Bowl-level starting quarterback before back on his first team in the Minnesota Vikings. He had led Minnesota to the NFC Playoffs in 2015 but unfortunately suffered a horrific leg injury in the final week of the preseason before the 2016 campaign.
Some teams might be reluctant to pay Bridgewater top dollar once he hits free agency, given his previous bill of health. That being said, somebody will pay Bridgewater a significant amount of money on the quarterbacking market this spring. If it’s the Saints, that could be complicated with Brees still planning to play for the next few years. Regardless, Bridgewater will get paid.
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He may not be putting up elite stats this year, but he keeps on putting the Saints in positions to win and they keep on winning. New Orleans has a decision to make, but Bridgewater should wisely follow the money and get his next full-time starting opportunity he’s earning in 2019.