Vikings Play it Safe, Decline Teddy Bridgewater’s Fifth-Year Option
Drew Mahowald
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Although it’s not any new concrete information, we have an official update regarding the future of Teddy Bridgewater!
According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, the Minnesota Vikings have declined Bridgewater’s fifth-year option for the 2018 season worth just over $12 million.
#Vikings informed Teddy Bridgewater they’re declining his option, source said. No setback. No nerve issue. Just can’t injury-guarantee him.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 1, 2017
Bridgewater is making progress, doing conditioning w/ team. Most likely scenario hasn’t changed: start season on PUP, reevaluate in October.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 1, 2017
A salary of just over $12 million is a steal for a quarterback of Bridgewater’s caliber, but the Vikings smartly want to avoid distributing that guaranteed money with the doubts that exist with his injury.
This absolutely does not mean Bridgewater’s career in Minnesota is over. But it does all but guarantee Bridgewater won’t be on the field throughout the entirety of the 2017 season. If the Vikings felt Bridgewater could be ready at any point this season, they would have locked him up for 2018.
Bridgewater will likely begin the 2017 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, and the length of his stay there will have a significant impact on his contract moving forward.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, another year would be added to Bridgewater’s contract if he remains on the PUP list for the entire 2017 season.
On Teddy Bridgewater: This is his last contract year. If he started on PUP & never came off for ’17, his contract tolls. It adds a 2018 year
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2017
In other words, if Bridgewater does stay on the PUP for the duration of the 2017 season, a 2018 year will be added onto Bridgewater’s contract.
This should create a smooth transition at the quarterback position for Minnesota, whether it’s from Sam Bradford back to Bridgewater or officially turning the reigns over to Bradford as “the guy”.
The future of the quarterback situation is a foggy one. Bradford is also entering the final year of his contract in 2017, signaling a chaotic offseason ahead, assuming Bridgewater can fully recover by next summer.
But for now, Bradford is the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings. And there’s a good chance he’ll be the quarterback past 2017 — but the Vikings are keeping their options open by declining Bridgewater’s in 2018.
Anthony Barr’s fifth-year option exercised
Pelissero also reported that the Vikings exercised the fifth-year option on Anthony Barr’s contract for the 2018 season. The team later confirmed.
The #Vikings are exercising their fifth-year option on LB Anthony Barr, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 1, 2017
We have exercised the 5th-year option on @AnthonyBarr.
?: https://t.co/26sTBFu3VY pic.twitter.com/9B8kOoUgBi
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 1, 2017
This one wasn’t really in question. Although he had a bit of a down year in 2016, Barr is still a two-time Pro Bowler at barely 25 years old. It would take some special circumstances for any NFL team to decline the fifth-year option of a player with Barr’s resume.
OTHER VIKINGS NEWS: Vikings Sign 13 Rookie Free Agents.