Teddy Bridgewater - Pro Football Rumors

Vikings, Case Keenum Haven’t Discussed Extension

November 27th, 2017 at 11:11am CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Case Keenum has led the Vikings to a 9-2 record while posting the best statistical season of his career, Minnesota has not opened extension talks with the veteran quarterback, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The Vikings are facing a free agent predicament in 2018, as Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, and Sam Bradford are all scheduled to hit the open market next spring. However, general manager Rick Spielman & Co. have no plans to work out new deals with any of those signal-callers until the 2017 campaign comes to a close, per Florio.

Depending on how the remainder of the season plays out, the 29-year-old Keenum could potentially be in for a contract that pays him $15MM annually, a significant bump over his 2017 base salary of $2MM. The Vikings could theoretically deploy the franchise tag on Keenum, but that tender will likely come with a cost north of $22MM.

Minnesota could also be forced to hire another offensive coordinator this offseason, as incumbent Pat Shurmur may draw head coaching interest in the coming months. Such a change could affect the Vikings’ preferences at quarterback, and could also add competition for Keenum, as Shurmur would presumably make a run at Keenum if he lands another head job.

Keenum, who had notably struggled for the majority of his NFL career, has now posted 14 touchdowns against only five interceptions this season, and ranks among the top-10 in both quarterback rating and adjusted net yards per pass attempt.

Vikings To Stick With Keenum At Atlanta

November 24th, 2017 at 1:47pm CST by Micah Powell

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters Case Keenum will receive another start when the team travels to take on the Falcons, Courtney Cronin of ESPN reports.

Despite throwing for at least 280 yards in four consecutive games and riding a six-game win streak as the starter, the veteran quarterback’s status as the No. 1 signal-caller is on a week-to-week basis. Though Teddy Bridgewater is on his way back from his long hiatus, it would make no sense to pull one of the league’s hottest quarterbacks in favor of someone who hasn’t played in almost two years.

Since starting in a 23-10 win over Green Bay in Week 6, Keenum has posted a 95.4 passer rating and thrown for 1,581 yards and 10 touchdowns. With the Vikings battling for home-field advantage in the postseason, don’t expect a change under center anytime soon unless Keenum has a misstep in the coming weeks.

Vikings Were “Tempted” To Start QB Teddy Bridgewater

November 15th, 2017 at 6:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although the Vikings opted to start quarterback Case Keenum for at least one more week, the club was “very tempted” to turn to Teddy Bridgewater, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

While Minnesota views Bridgewater as the face of their franchise, per Glazer, it’s entirely fair to wonder what Bridgewater has to offer in the near term. He hasn’t played in nearly two years after suffering a devastating injury during the 2016 preseason, and has never performed under offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. While Bridgewater should still have some chemistry with wide receiver Stefon Diggs after he caught 52 balls in 2015, Bridgewater has barely thrown to fellow wideout Adam Thielen, who was a bit player the last time Bridgewater was under center.

There’s no easy decision available for the Vikings, but given that the club is a near lock to earn a postseason berth (87%, per Football Outsiders), there’s an argument to made that Minnesota shouldn’t make a change at quarterback. Keenum, a journeyman who’d never experienced much success until this season, has performed extremely well in his seven 2017 starts, completing 65% of his passes for 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Advanced metrics like Keenum, as well: he ranks second in DVOA, third in total QBR, and fourth in DYAR, per FO.

The question of whether Keenum places a cap on the Vikings offense is a fair one, and Minnesota also may want to get a look at Bridgewater before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next spring. However, unless each of the Vikings’ remaining games is competitive, the club should be able to insert Bridgewater into the lineup for a few snaps down the stretch run.

Case Keenum Remains Vikings Starter

November 15th, 2017 at 12:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Teddy Bridgewater will have to wait at least a little while longer before regaining his starting job. On Wednesday morning, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer announced that Case Keenum will be under center when they take on the Rams this week.

Fans have been itching to see what Bridgewater can do now that he is finally healthy, but it would be difficult for the Vikings to bench Keenum after he led the team to a road win over the Redskins. After throwing for four touchdowns in the 38-30 win, the Vikings advanced to 7-2, good for first place in the NFC North.

Through ten weeks of the NFL season, Keenum has graded out as the league’s 17th best quarterback, according to the metrics at Pro Football Focus. He’s not necessarily setting the world on fire, but he has played much better than anyone would have expected in place of Week 1 starter Sam Bradford. Perhaps more importantly, the team is winning with him at the helm.

If Keenum falters against Los Angeles this week, it’s possible that we could see Bridgewater take the field for the first time since January of 2016. Short leash or no, it’ll be Keenum getting the Vikings’ first snap at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

If Keenum’s quality play continues throughout the season, it will set the table for a very interesting scenario in the offseason. Keenum, Bridgewater, and Bradford will all be eligible for free agency in March.

Vikings To Activate Teddy Bridgewater

November 7th, 2017 at 11:12am CST by Zachary Links

Teddy Bridgewater will be activated to the Vikings’ 53-man roster, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, the team is discussing whether Sam Bradford will be placed on injured reserve.

Moving Bradford to IR could be the Vikings best option given the way that Case Keenum has played in his absence. The Vikings also know that they will probably lose preseason standout Kyle Sloter if they try to sneak him through waivers and on to the practice squad.

Keenum is expected to remain the starter for the time being with Bridgewater as a backup. If Keenum falters against the Redskins on Sunday, the Vikings could have another QB dilemma on their hands.

In 2016, Bradford set the NFL record for completion percentage in a season at 71.6%. This year, however, he has been dealing with serious knee troubles and has appeared in only two games. Bradford opened up the season by completing 27 of 32 passes against the Saints for three touchdowns and no interceptions, but he did not return to action until Week 5 against the Bears. After getting re-injured midway through that game, we have not seen Bradford take the field since.

NFC Notes: Miller, Bridgewater, Juszczyk, Seahawks

November 5th, 2017 at 9:50pm CST by GregGoldstein

One of the scarier stories of this season was the situation regarding Bears tight end Zach Miller‘s serious leg injury. Just a week ago, doctors were performing surgery to save his leg after he dislocated his knee while playing. However, after a successful procedure, the 33 year-old is set to be released from the hospital on Monday, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. According to Mortensen, the surgery was described as “heroic” by one doctor, who relayed that the surgeons needed to repair a torn popliteal artery. The road to recovery is still ongoing as the tight end will likely need multiple surgeries before starting his way to rehab, but the outlook is much better than it was because of the many great doctors and Miller himself as Mortensen outlines in his piece.

Speaking of amazing recoveries, Teddy Bridgewater is on track to return to the gridiron after many months of rehab and uncertainty regarding his serious knee injury. The Vikings former first round pick is expected to be activated and in uniform for the team’s Week 10 contest versus Washington, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Bridgewater was placed on the PUP list at the start of the regular season after he had been recovering from an injury he suffered back in training camp two years ago. It’s been a long road for the soon-to-be 25 year-old, but it looks like the quarterback’s resiliency will soon pay off. Although, it remains to be seen what role Bridgewater will have when he returns, especially with the recent solid play of third string QB Case Keenum. Bridgewater last played in the team’s heartbreaking playoff defeat at the hands of the Seahawks back in 2015.
49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk will undergo an MRI on Monday after suffering a concussion in today’s defeat at the hands of the Cardinals, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. The news comes right after it was learned that safety Jaquiski Tartt would be placed on the IR with a fractured arm that he suffered in today’s game as well. Juszczyk, 26, hasn’t been as big of a factor in the 49ers offense as people may have thought after signing by far the richest contract of any fullback this past offseason. The former Raven has totaled just 23 rushing yards and 8 catches for 80 yards this year.
The Seahawks cut tackle Isaiah Battle a few days ago after the team added the highly regarded Duane Brown prior to the trade deadline. However, it seems like Seattle would like to retain the offensive lineman as general manager John Schneider said on a pre-game show that he hopes to re-sign the 24 year-old to the team’s practice squad this week, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).

NFC North Notes: Vikings, Teddy, Bears

November 2nd, 2017 at 9:40pm CST by Zachary Links

There has been a lot of talk about whether Teddy Bridgwater will start for the Vikings upon his return, but GM Rick Speilman says the team is only focused on his health (link via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com).

“All we’re concerned about is where he is this week,” Spielman said. “I know we’re evaluating him in practice every day. And then we’ll have to make a decision coming up next week — not if he’s going to start or not start, but if he’s going to come up to the 53. That’s the next step. And then, from there, the coaches will determine the rest of the way.”

The 6-2 Vikings have a Week 9 bye. After that, the team will assess where Bridgewater is in his recovery.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

The Vikings didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline but GM Rick Spielman indicated that several teams reached out about some of the team’s younger players (Twitter link via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com). Leading up to Halloween, Spielman said that the Vikings had some concerns about their depth at running back beyond Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray. However, they feel pretty set after claiming Mack Brown off of waivers from Washington.
The Bears have not seriously discussed bringing wide receiver Kevin White back from injured reserve this season, coach John Fox told reporters (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune). White, unfortunately, was never viewed as an IR-DTR candidate, so Fox’s announcement doesn’t come as a big surprise.
The Packers‘ interest in Brian Hoyer was “cursory, at best,” according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). After Hoyer signed with the Pats, it was reported that Green Bay had interest in signing the QB. Either way, the Packers will forge ahead with Brett Hundley as their No. 1 quarterback while Aaron Rodgers nurses a broken collarbone.

Hue Jackson “Pushed Hard” For QB Trade This Offseason?

October 31st, 2017 at 11:50am CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to the 49ers snagging Jimmy Garoppolo for a second-round pick that’s likely to fall at the top of Day 2, the Browns were the team most connected with the former Patriots backup this offseason. And Hue Jackson may have been a key driver behind that Garoppolo-to-Cleveland buzz.

The second-year Browns coach “pushed hard” this offseason for the team to trade for Garoppolo or former Bengals charge A.J. McCarron, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. Jackson felt Garoppolo could be a big part of a turnaround from Cleveland’s 1-15 season, Cabot reports, and made Tom Brady‘s then-backup his primary offseason target.

Cabot adds the Patriots would have traded Garoppolo to the Browns for “the right offer,” which the longtime Browns reporter notes would have had to include at least one first-round pick. The Browns had two of those going into the draft and ended up with three first-round selections while also carrying multiple second-round picks in April after making the Brock Osweiler trade.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported the Browns offered a second-round pick for Garoppolo, with Cabot adding the team did not go further on Day 2 of this draft to make the necessary offer to the Pats. Browns executive VP Sashi Brown said going into the draft the team was not interested in trading for a veteran quarterback.

Kyle Shanahan and Garoppolo spent time together when the current 49ers coach worked as the Browns’ OC in 2014, and Shanahan told cleveland.com at this year’s Super Bowl he had Garoppolo ranked high among the draftable 2014 passers during his one-year stay in northeast Ohio. Shanahan did not want Johnny Manziel, whom the Browns drafted, nor did he prefer Teddy Bridgewater. However, the short-term Browns play-caller did like Derek Carr and Tom Savage, per Cabot.

When the Patriots and Browns could not agree on terms for Garoppolo, Jackson pivoted to McCarron, Cabot reports. But Jackson viewed the current Bengals backup, whom he coached for two seasons in Cincinnati, as a stopgap until the Browns could land their long-term solution.

Cabot wonders if McCarron would be in play by today’s 3pm CT deadline but reports it would have likely taken at least two second-round picks to pry him from the Bengals this offseason. McCarron is under contract through the 2018 season.

Extra Points: Vikings, Zeke, Williams, Lynch

October 29th, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sam Bradford does not have a return timetable after making a brief cameo in Chicago earlier this month. The Vikings quarterback is still experiencing knee pain, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). However, Minnesota may be set to finally have some quarterback depth again after its Week 9 bye. Teddy Bridgewater is expected to come off the PUP list after the bye, and Rapoport expects him to immediately compete with Case Keenum for the Vikes’ starting job. A mostly Keenum-led team this season, the Vikings lead the NFC North after their win over the Browns on Sunday. Bridgewater reclaiming his job might be a bit tricky considering where the team is in the standings and how long it’s been since the fourth-year passer was at the controls. But a Bridgewater return gives the Vikings options they don’t currently have with Bradford still on the mend.

Here’s the latest from around the league.

Ezekiel Elliott did not travel with the Cowboys back to Dallas on Sunday night, instead trekking to New York for his seminal court date, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (on Twitter). Elliott did not attend his previous hearing with New York’s Fifth Circuit Court in New Orleans earlier this month. The Cowboys star back rushed for more than 100 yards for a second straight week and has five touchdowns over the past two games but could see his suspension go into effect as early as next week if Monday goes poorly for his side.
Trent Williams is hoping the Redskins‘ bye week gives him time to heal his knee injury, but the Washington tackle isn’t certain that will do the trick, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Williams said earlier this month he’s hoping to put off surgery until after the season but revealed Sunday (via Keim) some doctors have told him that’s a six- to nine-month rehab process. Calling this a deep bone bruise, Williams added other medical personnel have said he can go the rest-and-recover route. So this bye week will be critical for the status of Washington’s injury-ravaged offensive line.
Speaking of left tackle injuries, Joe Staley suffered an orbital bone fracture Sunday. But the 11th-year 49ers edge blocker received a bit of good news, with Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reporting (via Twitter) no surgery will be required. Still, this could end any Staley trade speculation and keep him in San Francisco for another full season.
Paxton Lynch is no longer on the Broncos‘ injury report, and the second-year quarterback could be in uniform Monday night for the first time this season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. The Broncos have not received much help from their offense the past three games and have fallen to 3-3. The team obviously would be interested in getting its 2016 first-rounder on the field at some point, but Trevor Siemian won the job in the preseason. However, if the Broncos slink out of the playoff race as a result of a brutal upcoming schedule — the Chiefs, Eagles and Patriots represent Denver’s ensuing three games — Lynch could be summoned for a full-on audition.
Devon Still is considering retirement. The former Bengals rotational defensive lineman told TMZ he plans to decide in a couple of weeks if he will pursue a shot at another opportunity or not. The 28-year-old interior defender is currently a free agent, having last played with 2016 Texans. The Jets cut Still in August.
T.Y. Hilton is rumored to be on the trade block. Florio hears from multiple sources the NFL’s reigning receiving-yardage leader is available. Florio opines a future Hilton-type talent could come out of a mid-round draft pick, allowing the Colts — now run by a decision-maker in Chris Ballard who did not draft the sixth-year wide receiver — to offload Hilton’s $13MM-AAV contract and improve the roster with the savings.

NFC Notes: Vikings, Bridgewater, Redskins

October 23rd, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are wary of exposing Teddy Bridgewater to the slippery turf in London next week, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The QB says he’s ready to go, but Minnesota is taking the cautious approach and waiting until the post-bye game in Week 10 to put Bridgewater on the roster. Of course, the Vikings may still have a tough choice to make when it comes to whether they will actually put him on the field. Case Keenum has looked sharp since stepping in for Sam Bradford, so the team could opt to continue with him as the starter.

Now that Duane Brown is back with the Texans, the best available left tackle is now Will Beatty, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com opines (Twitter link). He notes that Beatty “recently” worked out for the Saints, but it’s not clear if that is in reference to his mid-September workout or if he had a more recent audition for New Orleans. Rapoport notes that the Saints had some offensive line injuries on Sunday, so he could be a fit for them now.
Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who has been dealing with a knee injury, is pushing to play against Philly on Monday night (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Washington is hoping that Breeland will be somewhat close to 100% as Josh Norman is sidelined with a rib injury.
Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if Leon Hall is back with the 49ers in the wake of K’Waun Williams‘ quad injury. The veteran was released by SF last week after earning two game checks, though he appeared in zero games.