The National Football League (NFL) has over the years harvested very skilled and talented stars from high schools and colleges, and one of such talent is Teddy Bridgewater. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014 as a quarterback, and he has excelled marvelously in the league where he has played for a few other franchises. Teddy had a stellar career in high school and college, earning a couple of awards. Has he been able to replicate the success in his professional career or has the injuries he has suffered derailed the expectations?
Starting on a High Note as Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year
Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014, Teddy Bridgewater signed a four-year rookie contract worth $6.85 million. He started as the backup quarterback for the Vikings behind Matt Cassel before making the starting spot his’ when Cassel had an injury. At this point, it was up to Teddy to prove that he’s worthy of being a first-round pick, and he wasted no time doing so.
Starting 12 of the 13 games he played that season, he rushed for 209 yards with a touchdown and also pulled off an 85.2 passer rating for 2,919 passing yards, 12 interceptions, and 14 touchdowns. Thanks to that, he was picked by the Pro Football Writers of America as the quarterback of the 2014 NFL All-Rookie team; but that’s not all.
Teddy Bridgewater was also honored as the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. If anything, this went a long way in showing that he was not hyped when it was vastly predicted that he’d be one of the biggest prospects to be drafted in 2014 as he rounded up his college career at Louisville College, where he studied sports administration.
A starting quarterback for his college team, Teddy was the Big East Rookie of the Year 2011 and in 2012, he was honored as the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, as well as being named to First-team All-Big East. The following year, he was named to Second-team All-AAC.
Injury Slowed His Pace After He Was Named to His First Pro Bowl
With the Vikings, Teddy Bridgewater finished his second season on a good note. While he rushed for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns, he accumulated 3,231 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. His passer rating of 45.7 was the lowest he had recorded, nonetheless, he helped his side to a 20 – 13 victory that saw the team win its first division title since 2009. January 2016 came, and he recorded another milestone in his career.
Teddy was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2016. But as fate would have it, he would sustain an injury that sidelined his career for a good while. It was in August 2016 that the quarterback suffered what was described as a non-contact injury to his left leg. He had suffered an ACL injury (anterior cruciate ligament) and a dislocation of his knee joint and had to observe some rehabilitation sessions.
Unfortunately, Teddy Bridgewater was out of play for the rest of the 2016 season. Later, doctors confirmed that he will be out for at least 19 months, which meant that he missed the 2017 season as well.
Returning from Injury to Join The New York Giants
Almost nothing was heard of the NFL star until September 2017 when the Vikings disclosed that he would return as a part of its active team, albeit under the physically unable to perform list. The following month, he began practicing and was subsequently returned to the active roster. But then, the Vikings had almost had enough of him.
March 2018 came and Teddy Bridgewater made a one-year pact with the New York Jets. It was said that the deal offered him the chance to make up to $15 million but only guaranteed $500,000. Regardless, his stay with the Jets was brief as he was soon traded to New Orleans Saints.
Moving from The Saints to Carolina Panthers
It was in August 2018 that the Jets traded Teddy to the Saints. With the side, he made his first start since 2015 that year and later signed a fully guaranteed one-year contract worth $7.25 million for the 2019 season. He was named the starting quarterback after an injury took Drew Brees out.
With that, he was able to rejuvenate his career as the Carolina Panthers came calling in March 2020. We can confirm that he made a three-year pact with the side, and the deal is worth $63 million.
Teddy Bridgewater’s Brother Inspired His Career
In 1992, precisely on the 10th of November, Teddy Bridgewater was born as Theodore Edmund Bridgewater II. He is the youngest of four children with two older sisters and an older brother named Andrea Bridgewater. Teddy got his inspiration for football from watching his big brother Andrea play the game.
He started training at the age of six, and when the opportunity presented itself through a ball he caught while watching his brother’s team in training, he was ready to take it on. Teddy carried on with great strides in Miami Northwestern High School, where his talent was so glaring that he earned the quarterback starting spot in his second year in school.
It is hard to tell what his siblings are up to right now, but we know that family is very important to the quarterback who is yet to get married and start a family of his own.
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The NFL Star Is Very Fond of His Mother
Teddy Bridgewater was born to black American parents Teddy Bridgewater Sr and Rose Murphy. But his mother raised him as a single mother because his father was largely absent from his life. He was raised in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami.
Rose Murphy encouraged him to be steadfast in athletic activities, as he had played both baseball and football in his early days. She enrolled him into the junior league and even served as his coach, spurring him on to achieve perfection in the game of football.
Teddy’s mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, but she fought through the disease and won. In appreciation for all her support, Teddy desired to gift his mother a Cadillac SUV, and his wish was granted as the Cadillac company gifted her a Pink Escalade Cadillac.
Teddy Bridgewater professes Christianity as his way of life, and he has a long-time girlfriend named Erika Cardona. They met when they attended Northwestern High School, and they have been together ever since.
