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Last offseason, Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said that he never wanted another starting quarterback other than Teddy Bridgewater.
Of course, circumstances forced Zimmer to play Sam Bradford and Case Keenum over the last two years, but there’s a chance that the Vikings’ head coach will want the team’s former first-round pick back under center in 2018.
Bridgewater’s situation is complicated though. In Zimmer’s end-of-year press conference, he lamented not getting more time to see Bridgewater play on his surgically-repaired knee and pointed out the rarity of his recovery.
So if the Vikings do plan to keep Bridgewater, who is a free agent, uncertainty surrounding his recovery will play a factor in contract negotiations. It’s hard to see the Vikings locking themselves into a long-term contract, but there will likely be other offers from quarterback-desperate teams.
Let’s have a look at some options for the Vikings…
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...ater-back/
The Mike Glennon model
The Chicago Bears became the butt of a lot of jokes for their deal with former Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon, but the deal is far less egregious as some made it seem. They can walk away from him this offseason for only $4.5 million and $1 million next year. If Glennon had turned out to be a solid starting quarterback, the Bears would have had him under contract for a very reasonable deal.
When Bradford signed with the Eagles, there was serious concern about whether his knee would hold up. Philadelphia gave him a large percentage of his salary guaranteed ($22 million of $35 million), but could have walked away after one year of a $7 million cap hit.
A Sam Bradford deal
For Bridgewater, $22 million would allow him set-for-life money if there were further complications with his knee and an opportunity to earn a $100 million-plus deal within two years.
The franchise tag
Considering the cost of around $25 million, it may not seem like a great option, but the Vikings could franchise Bridgewater to insure that he’s their 2018 quarterback and then try to work out a long-term contract with him if he performs at a high level. The Vikings have $57 million in cap space and do not have many glaring needs in free agency. So they could afford to tag him and sign another QB – maybe even Sam Bradford – without putting themselves in cap jail.
Tolling
The Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a clause that would toll current Bridgewater’s contract to 2017, meaning he would make $2.1 million in 2018. He should qualify under the parameters because he was on the Physically Unable to Perform list. However, Bridgewater could file a grievance stating that the Vikings purposefully put him on the PUP list to toll his contract.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...ater-back/
I'm not sure how any of us can answer that one right now with all the reports that Teddy was still favoring his knee at the end of the season. To me the question that has to be asked by Rick, Zimmer, and the new OC is will his knee ever be the same or close to same prior to his injury, or will he always be a diminished version of what he was? Even with the reports that he improved his arm strength while rehabbing, he's not a pure pocket passer and needs his legs to buy time and extend plays to be effective. Since Case and Teddy have similar styles to their game, who do you trust more to lead the team while we develop a young QB like Sloter or someone we draft.
Quote: @TBro said:
I'm not sure how any of us can answer that one right now with all the reports that Teddy was still favoring his knee at the end of the season. To me the question that has to be asked by Rick, Zimmer, and the new OC is will his knee ever be the same or close to same prior to his injury, or will he always be a diminished version of what he was? Even with the reports that he improved his arm strength while rehabbing, he's not a pure pocket passer and needs his legs to buy time and extend plays to be effective. Since Case and Teddy have similar styles to their game, who do you trust more to lead the team while we develop a young QB like Sloter or someone we draft.
Could you link any of these reports of Teddy favoring his knee? Other than anti Teddy posts on forums? I read about everything I can find and I have yet to read any such report coming from anything cedible.
Quote: @TBro said:
I'm not sure how any of us can answer that one right now with all the reports that Teddy was still favoring his knee at the end of the season. To me the question that has to be asked by Rick, Zimmer, and the new OC is will his knee ever be the same or close to same prior to his injury, or will he always be a diminished version of what he was? Even with the reports that he improved his arm strength while rehabbing, he's not a pure pocket passer and needs his legs to buy time and extend plays to be effective. Since Case and Teddy have similar styles to their game, who do you trust more to lead the team while we develop a young QB like Sloter or someone we draft.
Um I haven't seen any legitimate reports that he is favoring his knee. Of course if some people say it, some people will believe it.
Quote: @TBro said:
I'm not sure how any of us can answer that one right now with all the reports that Teddy was still favoring his knee at the end of the season.
I love it, its like turning into an inside joke here on the forum. Good stuff.
I too have seen stories about Teddy favoring his knee. Right here, on this forum. Not outside it, but here only.
Quote: @StickyBun said:
@ TBro said:
I'm not sure how any of us can answer that one right now with all the reports that Teddy was still favoring his knee at the end of the season.
I love it, its like turning into an inside joke here on the forum. Good stuff.
I too have seen stories about Teddy favoring his knee. Right here, on this forum. Not outside it, but here only.
Sticky,
I heard it on KFAN when PA had Adam Kaplan on. He was the one the mentioned it so where he got his info from I'm not sure, but he's pretty plugged in and his benching in the playoffs would leave me to believe there is some truth in what he says.
If he was still favoring his knee I would doubt they would have cleared/activated him. It's possible when he wears a brace it looks like he has a hitch in his step.
Either way they know exactly what the condition of his knee is and will plan and negotiate accordingly. Same goes for Sam, and Case they know exactly what was on film vs what they expect from the offense so I'm just going to sit back ad hope they make the right call-which won't probably be clear until at least a year form now.
He's been on the bench for two years. He's going to be cheap. He can be escalated easily with performance incentives.
I don't think the Vikings will toll him because they don't want the headache. If there's interest from other teams, he might go as high as $6.5M for next year. It could also be as low as $3M. It's hard to see him heading out of town for a few bucks with how the Vikings have treated him. The reason he would leave is if he didn't think he had a legitimate shot at starting and someone else was going to give him one.
He'll want a short term contract and I think that's in the Vikings best interest as well.
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/contracts/quarterback/
Glennon's contract is confusing to me, and I don't think it's a trend - as much as agents want it to be. I think for Teddy, the model contract is Schaub's. That's what his agent will want and he'll negotiate down from there. 2 years off and a knee injury with an uncertain future is going to sting his wallet on the open market.
Nobody is going to break the bank on Teddy Bridgewater. And I doubt there'll be a ton of interest. Miami will be interested, but they really do like Tannehill. Maybe a QB competition there would make some sense. I'm sure Teddy would love to get back to his hometown (North Miami).
The Bears were complete idiots and the Mike Glennon deal was an aberration. Its a cautionary tale.
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