Vikings Not Sure When Teddy Bridgewater Will Return

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a season ending injury during the preseason last year when he tore ligaments and dislocated his left knee. Almost a year after the injury, Bridgewater doesn’t know when he will be able to return to the field.

Speaking to reporters at the start of training camp, Bridgewater said while he doesn’t know when he will be cleared for practice or return to the field, he knows it will eventually happen.

Bridge water sounded hopeful during the press conference, and said his doctors did not call his injury a career ending one. He also credited his mother’s battle with breast cancer for giving him the strength to take on the difficult rehabilitation.

“That’s the good thing about all this — I get to continue to live out my dream,” Bridgewater said. “We don’t know when it’s going to happen, but for me, I know that it’s going to happen.”

Since he isn’t going to be ready for the season opener, the Vikings placed Bridgewater on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Head coach Mike Zimmer said there is no timetable for Bridgewater’s return, and admitted that the initial prognosis for the quarterback’s knee was bleak. Zimmer added that Bridgewater did a remarkable job to get to the point he is right now in his rehab.

During mini-camp in June, Bridgewater was able to drop back and throw the ball. He also posted a picture of himself working out without a knee brace on his Instagram account.

When the injury occurred, Bridgewater said there was no contact, but he knew something was wrong. The team’s training staff quickly put his knee in an air cast and rushed him to the hospital because the dislocated knee put him at risk of losing his left leg.

Even though the team declined his fifth year option, Bridgewater said he understood the logic behind the decision.

Bridgewater intends to continue rehabbing his knee and hopes he will eventually be cleared to return to the field.