Former Vikings 1st-Round Pick, Pro Bowl QB Potential Darnold Replacement

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Quarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
Most Minnesota Vikings fans probably aren’t thinking much about next season in the midst of a run that has been as exciting as it’s been improbable.

However, certain recesses of the front office are almost certainly already weighing options at the quarterback position heading into next season, with a handful of viable paths to tread that each offer their own positives and negatives.

Any and all conversations must begin with starter Sam Darnold, who has excelled in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system, and what will become of him if/when he becomes a free agent in March 2025. Multiple scenarios in which Minnesota moves on from Darnold exist, and if that does happen, a former Vikings starter should be available to replace him on the roster and could prove a seamless fit.

That player is Teddy Bridgewater, a first-round pick of the franchise in the 2014 NFL draft.

Teddy Bridgewater Good Fit as Veteran Backup for J.J. McCarthy

GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.

Bridgewater has been out of the league since the end of the 2023 campaign, transitioning into a job as the head coach of Miami Northwestern, his former high school, which he led to a state championship in December.

Bridgewater told Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network earlier this week that he intends to make a comeback in 2025 despite his coaching success.

“That’s the plan. My team knows that’s the plan,” Bridgewater said. “We wanted to win a state championship and then coach goes back to the league, see what happens. And then come back February in the offseason, continue coaching high school football. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Bridgewater isn’t likely to get a starting shot anywhere upon his return, assuming he makes a roster after taking a full year off. However, the 33-year-old makes sense as a potential backup QB and was on the radar of several teams in that regard this summer and early into the season.

The Vikings could make sense as a destination given his history with the team, particularly if Darnold departs in free agency and Daniel Jones goes elsewhere in hopes of finding a starting opportunity.

Bridgewater’s experience in the league and recent history as a coach profile him as a solid veteran backup for rookie J.J. McCarthy, who will take his first-ever regular season snap in Week 1 next season if Minnesota ultimately names him the starter.

Teddy Bridgewater Winning NFL QB Over 10-Year Career

GettyFormer Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater was the Vikings starter in 2014 and 2015, earning Pro Bowl honors during his second season at the helm.

However, his career changed during practice just ahead of the start of the 2016 regular season. Bridgewater dislocated his knee during a non-contact incident, which led to several torn ligaments and resulted in an ambulance ride to the hospital.

Bridgewater nearly lost the leg, as doctors were forced to consider amputation based on the severity of the injury. Fortunately, medical professionals saved the limb and Bridgewater’s career, though he missed the entirety of the following campaign.

The QB started 2017 as the Vikings’ backup and played in just one more game for Minnesota before moving on to the New Orleans Saints the following year. Bridgewater played stints with the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions before his retirement following last season.

All told, Bridgewater has appeared in 79 games, starting 65 of those and earning a career record of 33-32. He has amassed 15,120 passing yards, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions as well as 844 rushing yards and 11 TDs across 10 years in the league — nine of which he played in at least one game.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible