Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has seen better days in the NFL. It wasn't that long ago that he was considered the team’s quarterback of the future. He made the Pro Bowl and led the Vikings to the playoffs in 2015, the year before he suffered the horrific knee injury which kept him out for most of the past two seasons.

But despite playing only a handful of snaps in one game in 2017, Bridgewater says it’s still his “favorite season by far” in the league considering all the circumstances surrounding his situation.

“It was probably my favorite season by far, even though I didn’t play much,” Bridgewater said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. “This season challenged my mindset because as bad as I wanted to be out there playing, being the competitor that I am, I wanted to go to war and go to battle with my guys, I had to be out there in a different aspect. I had to be there for the guys mentally. It gave me a different role and I accepted it. It was one that was hard to accept because I’m a competitor, but I wouldn’t trade this year for nothing.”

It has been a trying last couple of years for Bridgewater following his serious knee injury. He’s worked so hard just to be able to come back and resume his career this season. And as tough as rehabbing his knee undoubtedly was, it must have been tougher for him to sit and watch on the sidelines as his team went all the way to the NFC Championship Game.

However, Bridgewater deserves credit for successfully acclimating to his new role, which shows his growth as a player. While he’s obviously looking forward to starting by next season, the lessons he learned in 2017 will likely do him a lot of good going forward in his career.