Los Angeles Chargers: Is Teddy Bridgewater the future at quarterback?

January 28, 2016; Kahuku, HI, USA; Team Irvin quarterback Teddy Bridgewater of the Minnesota Vikings (5) passes the football during the 2016 Pro Bowl practice at Turtle Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 28, 2016; Kahuku, HI, USA; Team Irvin quarterback Teddy Bridgewater of the Minnesota Vikings (5) passes the football during the 2016 Pro Bowl practice at Turtle Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Chargers need to start thinking about their long-term plan at quarterback, could Teddy Bridgewater be the answer LA is looking for?

The Los Angeles Chargers must start evaluating what their plans are at the quarterback position in the near future. Let’s be honest, 35-year old veteran quarterback Philip Rivers can’t play forever and LA definitely doesn’t have another franchise quarterback on the roster. That being said, where should Los Angeles look for help?

This may make a few of you nervous, especially since he is coming off of a horrific knee injury last season, but pursuing this former Louisville Cardinals quarterback will definitely be worth it.

According to Andre Vergara of Fox Sports, Teddy Bridgewater is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2018. While I don’t personally believe that Sam Bradford is the best option for the Minnesota Vikings, it looks as though that is where their “Master Plan” is taking them.

Bridgewater may not be the passer that Philip Rivers has come to be over the course of his career, but he is definitely a guy who could fit into the Chargers’ system nicely.

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If you’ve read any of my articles about Los Angeles, you’ll quickly realize how much I talk about the Chargers need to stay balanced on offense. This team has weapons galore and they could be one of the best offenses in the NFL if they would just stay balanced.

There’s a reason why Los Angeles (San Diego) finished in the bottom-10 in rushing last season and that definitely correlates to them finishing with a 5-11 record. If you don’t run the football effectively, you won’t win football games.

That being said, Bridgewater has had success in Minnesota where they have thrived on staying balanced on offense. Yes, the Vikings had Adrian Peterson, but Bridgewater did a fantastic job of managing the offense and not turning the football over. Call him a game-manager if you want, but how many of you Chargers fans would love to win the division every now and then? Bridgewater was a vital part of the 2015 Vikings team that de-throned the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North Title.

As much as I love Rivers, he has the tendency to lose close game because of questionable decisions with the football. You won’t find Bridgewater making too many of the “gun-slinger” errors that Rivers does every week.

Next: 5 Reasons That The Chargers Will Win The AFC West

If you put a solid defense behind Bridgewater and give him a great arsenal of offensive weapons, this kid could thrive on the west coast. Minnesota may not believe that Bridgewater is their future quarterback, but that may ultimately be a huge blessing for the Chargers.