Add Teddy Bridgewater to the list of first-round picks who have signed their rookie contracts.
Bridgewater, the quarterback whom the Vikings selected after trading into the final pick of the first round, signed his deal today. His signing was announced moments after the announcement that the Vikings’ other first-round pick, Anthony Barr, has signed as well.
Like all first-round picks, Bridgewater will have a four-year deal with a club option for the fifth year. The Vikings may have preferred getting Bridgewater at the end of the first round, rather than waiting until the second round to draft him, because that fifth-year option gives them another year before they have to break the bank to keep him, if he becomes a star quarterback.
For now, that’s a big “if.” The Vikings are just hoping Bridgewater can prove in camp that he deserves to open the season as the starter. With his contract out of the way, that’s where his focus will be going forward.