Carolina Panthers already raving about Teddy Bridgewater

The former Minnesota Vikings quarterback is set to help lead the Carolina Panthers in 2020.

When the Minnesota Vikings decided to trade back into the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to select Teddy Bridgewater, the team viewed him as their next franchise quarterback.

Everything appeared to be heading in that direction for Bridgewater and the Vikings until the young signal-caller suffered a devastating leg injury just prior to the 2016 season. He never started another game for Minnesota after that and since then, he’s been doing his best to prove that he still deserves a job in the NFL as a quarterback.

After leading the New Orleans Saints to wins in all five of his starts under center last season, the interest from other teams around the league began to grow. It ultimately resulted in Bridgewater signing a three-year, $63 million deal with the Carolina Panthers to be their starting quarterback in 2020.

Panthers head coach impressed with the former Minnesota Vikings signal-caller.

For the upcoming season, the Panthers will not only have a new starter under center, but they also have a new head coach in Matt Rhule. Recently, Rhule shared some of the impact that Carolina has already felt since Bridgewater was added to the roster.

"“The best players in the world bring out the best in their teammates and I can tell you, since free agency started, the amount of the guys that want to come and play with Teddy has nothing to do with me or anybody else. They want to be a part of what he’s doing ’cause he brings out the best in people.”"

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s followed Bridgewater’s football career. Everywhere he’s gone, he’s been able to lead his team to success. He’s not a guy who’s always going put up monster numbers, but that is because he’s willing to do whatever is needed in order for his team to earn a victory.

Bridgewater was beloved by his teammates and coaches during his time with the Vikings and the same thing seems to already be happening with the Panthers.

However, his future in Carolina could also change fairly quickly. If the Panthers end up having a disappointing performance during the upcoming season with Bridgewater as their starter, the team could turn to the 2021 NFL Draft to find a new franchise quarterback.

His contract with Carolina is set up in a way that he will probably remain with team until at least 2022. So Bridgewater will likely get the next two years to prove he can lead the Panthers to success. If the past is any indication of what’s to come, Carolina should be excited about their future with the former Minnesota quarterback.