Teddy Bridgewater played the occasion, not the game at Vikings

What does the future hold for Teddy Bridgewater?

This performance was not what Teddy Bridgewater hoped for and it has only fanned the flames regarding his long-term future. The Carolina Panthers bet big that he was the man to lead them through a period of transition, which came with the release of Cam Newton after an iconic spell with the franchise.

It doesn’t take much for the Newton loyalists to get after Bridgewater. Although the quarterback would never admit it, the stuff being said about his level of production isn’t going to go unnoticed and what comes next over the next few weeks will be critical.

Bridgewater will never be a Patrick Mahomes in terms of throwing the ball or provide the running ability of a Newton. He is a solid game-manager who needs to generate early momentum in order to succeed and when teams clamp down on his production during the opening exchanges, it does end up becoming a real problem.

In truth, Bridgewater is never going to win over certain sections of Carolina’s fanbase, no matter how well he plays.

He has 2,819 passing yards, a 70.2 completion percentage, 14 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a Pro Football Focus grade of 69.7 from 11 games, which is the sort of solid but unspectacular production we expected from the player coming in.

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His close relationship with Carolina’s coaching staff and contract situation will probably ensure he is under center in 2021. But the temptation to draft a franchise quarterback of the future next spring is one the Panthers should consider strongly.