Teddy Bridgewater has officially come to terms with the Panthers on three-year contract, the team announced on Wednesday.
Bridgewater, 27, is coming off a season in which he led the Saints to a 5-0 record when he replaced an injured Brees two weeks into the campaign. He completed nearly 68% of his passes for 1,384 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions in 2019, a performance that helped the Saints capture the NFC South division title before they ultimately fell to the Vikings in the first round of the playoffs.
The 32nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Bridgewater started his career with the Vikings before signing with the Saints in the 2018 offseason. He boasts a 22-12 career record as a starter with his best season was in 2015 when he completed 65.3% of his passes while helping lead the Vikings to a NFC North division title.
A devastating knee injury in August of 2016 set his career back, however, as Bridgewater was sidelined for nearly two seasons. He became a free agent after the Vikings declined to pick up his fifth-year option. He started just one game during his first season in New Orleans before being called into action after Drew Brees' sustained an injury to his throwing hand during the team's Week 2 loss to the Rams.
In Carolina, Bridgewater would be part of a Panthers' offense that is spearheaded by running back Christian McCaffrey, who last season joined Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only running backs in NFL history to run and receive for over a 1,000 yards in a single season. Carolina's receiving corps is led by D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel, who combined to catch 141 passes for 1,802 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
With the Panthers, Bridgewater would be reunited with offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who was an offensive assistant in New Orleans during the 2017 and '18 seasons.
