NFL Quarterback Carousel: Predicting where top names land in 2020
![CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 12: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers runs off the field after their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on September 12, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 12: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers runs off the field after their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on September 12, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/7bdb7faf2413b5d06c92ad8702501652b0aabd9c6baef72f23d69fedb87a3bf5.jpg)
Teddy Bridgewater
Here, we have another first-round quarterback, albeit the 32nd pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. Teddy Bridgewater‘s career has been one of speculation and hope, speculation and joy, and now more speculation (and money).
Coming out of Louisville, Bridgewater was not considered to fit the mold of a prototypical NFL quarterback. As a result, his draft stock slid all the way to the 32nd pick where he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings.
After suffering and then rehabilitating from a catastrophic, career-threatening knee injury, Bridgewater signed a one-year “prove it” deal with the New York Jets who shrewdly traded him along with a sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for a third-round pick.
And this year, after replacing the injured Drew Brees in Week 3, Bridgewater accumulated a 5-0 record while passing for nine touchdowns to only two interceptions.
Bridgewater’s admirable fill-in for Brees will likely earn him a Nick Foles-esque contract in the free agency market of 2020 but more importantly, another opportunity to be a starting NFL quarterback again.
I believe the Chicago Bears have to be considered the front runner as the team to pursue Bridgewater the heaviest. It is clear that Mitchell Trubisky is not ready to lead this team, which is built to contend for Super Bowls right now. The Bears do not have the luxury of developing a player for several years. Bridgewater has shown that he can step in and lead a good team to wins and, unlike Trubisky, he has also shown that he will not cost a team any games.
Predicted Landing Spot: Chicago Bears