The Jets will sign quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a one-year deal, according to ESPN.
Bridgewater has thrown one pass in two years with the team that drafted him in 2014 in the Vikings after he suffered a severe knee injury during training camp in 2016.
Prior to the injury, Bridgewater had the full support of Minnesota's coaching staff as a popular breakout candidate. He exhibited impressive accuracy, touch and improvisational ability to go with an intermediate-to-deep ball that surpassed expectations.
There's simply no telling how Bridgewater's reconstructed knee will react to the speed of NFL game action going forward.
The 25-year-old was taken with the 32nd overall pick in 2014 and helped lead Minnesota to the playoffs in 2015. The team was not expected to resign Bridgewater this offseason, but his fate was sealed when the Vikings signed up Kirk Cousins to a three-year, $84 million deal Tuesday.
The Jets have now agreed to deals with two quarterbacks in the legal-tampering period as they reportedly have signed up last year's starting QB Josh McCown to a one-year, $10 million deal.
Signing Bridgewater would open the Jets' options at the sport's most important position. He's young enough at age 25 that New York could opt to revisit veteran Josh McCown as an insurance policy and coach lite in the quarterbacks room. Under that scenario, general manager Mike Maccagnan would have the luxury of drafting the best player available at No. 6 overall rather than forcing a quarterback selection.
The Jets may not be done at the quarterback position. Because McCown and Bridgewater are signed for only one year, they will strongly consider a quarterback with the sixth pick in the draft. Holdovers Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty could be out of jobs once the overhaul is complete.
Bridgewater, 25, said recently he still considers himself a starter, which will make for a spirited competition in training camp.
