“That I have an opportunity to walk into the locker room, walk into this facility — because was a point when there was nothing but doubt.
Bridgewater and the Vikings’ starters had just finished their preseason and two days after third preseason game, they were going through preparations for their 2016 regular season opener.
It was August 30, 2016 and the team was going through an 11 on 11, no-pad, no-contact drill when Bridgewater was tripped up by another player’s cleat.
Initially, trainers feared greater damage but their immediate response methods were later lauded.
Bridgewater was extremely popular among his teammates – “Everybody loves Teddy,” has been said hundreds, if not thousands of times in recent years.
“One child came up to me back home and told me, ‘Hey man, I miss seeing you out there on the football field.
In 2018, Bridgewater became a free agent, signed with the Jets, then was traded a couple months later to New Orleans where he spent two years as Drew Brees’ backup.
“Yeah my agent, he was adamant about Pat Shurmur.
His leadership during the OTAs and minicamp was so evident in the way he frequently interacts with his teammates that it may be a more tangible characteristic than intangible.
And then if I can give them some information about what I see from them it’s going to make them a better player.
I love interacting with the guys and – even if it’s not about football.
For all he’s been through – the devastating knee injury that could have been career-ending but wasn’t, from getting released to free agency by his first team, to getting traded to getting traded again – Bridgewater may just now be hitting his prime.
“I definitely feel that way,” Bridgewater said.