Getty Teddy Bridgewater is the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL.
Over the offseason, Teddy Bridgewater signed a one-year, $7.25 million fully-guaranteed contract with the Saints including a $6 million bonus, per Spotrac. Bridgewater signed a lucrative contract for a backup quarterback specifically to provide New Orleans with a bit of insurance in the event Drew Brees was forced to miss time. It is an investment that has already paid off given Brees’ thumb injury that has sidelined him since Week 2.
Bridgewater’s $7.25 million salary makes him the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL, per Yahoo Sports. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazier noted on The Rich Eisen Show that Saints head coach Sean Payton considers Bridgewater a starting quarterback, per USA Today.
“So he doesn’t think Teddy’s a backup quarterback, too,” Glazer noted to USA Today. “He thinks Teddy’s a starting quarterback in this league…Sean Payton and I are sitting in there before, and I don’t even remember how Teddy came up, but he’s like, ‘Oh he’s a starting quarterback. He’s a legit starting quarterback.’ And it wasn’t him trying to sell me on [Bridgewater], we were just talking about him. So I know how he really feels about him.”
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer Noted That the Saints Believe They Have Their “Future Quarterback”
The Saints could be eying Bridgewater not just as a fill-in for when Brees is injured but as the team’s successor whenever the veteran quarterback decides to retire from football. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer noted that Payton believes Bridgewater can be the Saints “future quarterback.”
“I told him what I think of [Bridgewater],” Zimmer said, per USA Today. “When we played him last year, he told me how much he likes Teddy and he said he thinks he’s got the future quarterback in the building.”
Despite Being a Backup, Bridgewater Is Making the Most Money of His Career
We’re not crying you’re crying. 😭
@teddyb_h2o reminds us all to not take anything for granted.
Brees has given no indication that he plans to retire after the season, but it sounds like Bridgewater could be the team’s preferred option at quarterback whenever that day does arrive. If Brees does return for the 2020 season, it will be interesting to see if Bridgewater signs another lucrative one-year deal. There is the chance that Bridgewater plays so well in Brees’ absence that quarterback-needy teams pursue him this offseason to become their new starter.
Despite spending time as the Vikings starting quarterback, Bridgewater is earning the most money of his career this season. When Bridgewater was the Vikings starting quarterback, he was still on his rookie deal. The quarterback then went through multiple injuries and has not been a starting quarterback in years. Bridgewater is hoping to utilize the current opportunity to improve his value as Brees recovers from a thumb injury.
Bridgewater’s long journey back has helped him appreciate his latest opportunity even more. After the Saints win over the Seahawks, Bridgewater offered a few words of wisdom to his teammates.
“Hey, man, I just want y’all to do one thing, man … I’m trying not to bawl right now,” Bridgewater said, per Yahoo Sports. “Cherish this moment, man. Cherish these opportunities that we got. Cherish this feeling of winning and just…man. Never take it for granted. I’m so speechless … I would not have rather been anywhere else than here, experiencing this right now in this moment with you guys. I appreciate you guys, man, for accepting me, and I love y’all.”