Getty Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater throwing a pass during an NFL game.
There are some surprising names still available in free agency late in the NFL offseason.
One of those players is veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report “can’t believe” that the former Louisville product hasn’t signed a contract with a new team yet.
Although he doesn’t believe that’ll last for much longer. Knox listed the New York Jets as a “logical landing spot” for the talented passer.
“The rival New York Jets would make sense,” Knox explained in an article posted on Friday, May 26. “The Jets shouldn’t trust Zach Wilson, and Bridgewater would be a tremendous insurance policy behind Aaron Rodgers.”
Teddy Bridgewater Could Be Reunited With the Jets in 2023
The 30-year-old originally entered the NFL back in 2014 as the No. 32 overall pick in the first round.
He has played for six different NFL teams in his nine years in the league. One of those stops included a trip to New York to play with Gang Green.
Bridgewater started his career with the Minnesota Vikings but it featured a tragic moment in 2016. He suffered a serious non-contact injury during practice that included a torn ACL, dislocation of the knee joint, and other structural damage.
Two years after that serious injury, the Jets were the first team that gave his football life another chance.
Gang Green signed Bridgewater on March 18 and about five months later the team traded him and a sixth-rounder to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a third-round draft choice.
While his tenure with the Jets was short, it made a tremendous impact on his life.
“I spent an OTA and a training camp with the Jets, but I look at it as they helped save my career,” Bridgewater told the media on October 5 ahead of a scheduled matchup versus New York. “When I signed with the Jets it was really on a tryout basis. [The Jets trainer] helped me get back to my old self health-wise. Todd Bowles’ charisma [and] energy helped me continue to just get that confidence back in myself. Then when they traded me it was like hey everything happens for a reason. I understand the nature of the business, I don’t take anything personal.”
Really powerful stuff: #Dolphins QB Teddy Bridgewater credited the #Jets organization for ‘helping save my career’ when they signed him back in 2018 after his devastating leg injury, ‘they helped me get back to my old self’: 🎥 @MiamiDolphins #FinsUp #TakeFlight #MIAvsNYJ
Teddy Bridgewater Provides a Higher Floor Than Jets QB Zach Wilson
Bridgewater has only been voted to one Pro Bowl during his career. While his ceiling might not be incredibly high, he brings with him a high floor.
Aaron Rodgers is clearly QB1 for the Jets, but if he gets hurt, the confidence publically isn’t as high in QB2.
Zach Wilson has a ton of upside as the former No. 2 overall pick, but he has proven in two years that he may have the lowest floor of any quarterback in the NFL.
The Jets are an all-in team with Super Bowl aspirations in 2023. Are they willing to be one Rodgers’ injury away from relying on Wilson to be the savior to hold down the fort?
Right now it sure seems that way, but they should strongly consider adding Bridgewater to the fold to provide solid insurance just in case for the worst possible scenario.