Teddy Bridgewater has started at quarterback in an NFL playoff game and in the Sugar Bowl, but neither of those seasons have gone down as his favorite as a football player.
Bridgewater saves that honor for the 2017 season, which saw him play a handful of snaps and throw an interception while mopping in garbage time of one game for the Vikings. That came after Bridgewater’s career-threatening knee injury in August 2016, of course, and the context is surely significant to the place the year holds in Bridgewater’s heart.
“It was probably my favorite season by far, even though I didn’t play much,” Bridgewater said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. “This season challenged my mindset because as bad as I wanted to be out there playing, being the competitor that I am, I wanted to go to war and go to battle with my guys, I had to be out there in a different aspect. I had to be there for the guys mentally. It gave me a different role and I accepted it. It was one that was hard to accept because I’m a competitor, but I wouldn’t trade this year for nothing.”
While Bridgewater may be pleased with how the 2017 season went, he’s looking for another change in mindset in 2018. Bridgewater said after the end of the Vikings’ season that he “definitely” sees himself as a starter, although it still hasn’t been clarified whether he’ll be free to seek such a role anywhere he wants heading into next season.