August 30 marks the day that Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered an injury that changed the course of his career. Exactly four years ago, Bridgewater had a non-contact injury to his left leg during a team practice back in his time with the Minnesota Vikings.
A subsequent MRI confirmed that he sustained a torn ACL injury and suffered other structural damage that prematurely ended his 2016 season. The seven-year veteran looks back on the day he encountered the adversity on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/teddyb_h2o/status/1300079344480591872
Teddy Bridgewater started his NFL journey with the Vikings who selected him with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Despite being a backup quarterback, the former Louisville Cardinal saw a significant amount of time on the field and earned a PFWA All-Rookie Team selection by the end of his rookie season. His strong play continued as he went on to grab his first Pro Bowl appearance in his sophomore season in the league.
He missed the entire 2016 season and played a single game in the 2017 season due to the long recovery needed for his injury. Bridgewater eventually had a pitstop with the New York Jets but didn't appear on any regular-season game for the team.
The Jets then traded him along with a 2019 sixth-round draft pick to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a 2019 third-round draft pick. He spent the 2018 season with the New Orleans Saints as a backup for veteran gunslinger Drew Brees.
Teddy Bridgewater pumped life back to his career when Brees went out with a thumb injury in Week 2 of last season. He went on to lead the team to an immaculate 5-0 record with him starting under center. He amassed a total of 1,384 receiving yards on 196 attempts and 9 scored touchdowns through 9 appearances in 2019.
The Miami native recently signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Carolina Panthers who will seek to open a new chapter in the post-Cam Newton era.
All those years of serving as a second-string gunslinger finally paid off for Bridgewater. He will look to make the most out of the opportunity given to him to lead a rebuilding team from the forefront in the upcoming season.
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