Teddy Bridgewater is on the PUP list to start the season. That is the Physically Unable To Perform list where players are kept on the books even though they cannot play. They spent a high draft pick on this guy, but they stumbled on Sam Bradford last season. Now the Vikings have a choice to make, and I believe they have already made it in investing in Sam Bradford and not allowing Teddy to be activated yet.
Teddy got unlucky
Teddy got hurt at the wrong time because the Vikings just happened to find Sam Bradford. It did not help that Bradford set a league record for completion percentage and the team played well.
The team saw that they could move on from Bridgewater if he did not get any better, and now he is not even activated to start the season. I feel they have made their choice, but now they must decide how to make roster moves that will help the team build around Bradford.
Will they trade him?
I would trade him to a team that would like to start the season with him as a contender for their starting job. I can imagine a couple teams taking on Teddy because they want to have a look, and they could do so because they want to have their options open. That would be a good move for Teddy because he does not need to stay, and it will be just as good for the Vikings because they can stop answering questions about Teddy.
They can get the number ready for the ring of honor that will be dedicated to Bradford in a decade or so.
Now Bradford has to perform
I think you have to go to Sam and let him know that this is his team until he retires. Honestly, tell him that you want to do everything you can do to remain competitive while he is still a good player.
I would start investing all around him to see if you can make the team as solid as possible. Sam Bradford is not a savior, but he can be very good when the team is put together in the right way. A little bit more work could make the Vikings an obvious playoff choice every year.
The team needs to compete
They need to give the Packers a hard time.
They need to challenge for a wild card slot which is there for the taking. There is no guarantee that the NFC South will be good, and it is possible that the Vikings will have an easier path that makes their record better. They will slide into the playoffs, and they will look at improving even more the next year. I think this is a no-brainer if you are the Vikings, and I think you need to make that clear as soon as possible so that you may start the recovery process.
