Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will miss the 2016-17 season with a knee injury. The Vikings should start hitting the phones and see what options are out there. One possible Bridgewater replacement could be Mark Sanchez
They were favorites to win the NFC North for a second straight year but with the injury, to Bridgewater, those dreams may have taken a hit. Last season the Vikes ranked last in passing attempts, 31st in yards and 31st in TDs but Bridgewater has looked much improved this preseason, giving new hope to an offense that needs his arm.
The Vikings are still a run first team with All-Pro RB, Adrian Peterson but this season was to be the year where the Vikings were to save some wear and tear on his body, keeping him fresh for the playoffs. With Bridgewater out the Vikies are left with 35-year-old Shaun King and young QB Joel Stave.
While neither player can offer a solid solution for 16 games the Vikes must look outside the organization for help. One name that will be on everyone’s tongue will be current Denver Broncos QB, Mark Sanchez. The Broncos, per reports, have demoted Sanchez to the 3rd string job and may have placed him on the trade market. When Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys went down the Cowboys called but the Broncos wanted them to take his entire contract which will call for Sanchez to make $9M over 2 years.
The Cowboys’ declined, but the Vikings may not have a choice in the matter. Hill is not capable of maintaining a high level of play for 16 games, and young Stave is not ready to lead a team that will enter the season with Super Bowl aspirations. The Vikes must make that deal for Sanchez or watch the season go down the drain.
For a team that ranked at the bottom in almost every passing category, how much worse can Sanchez be than Bridgewater was in his rookie season? We know he’s a winner, but he will provide a better chance at the playoffs then handling the ball over to Hill. Peterson has been a workhorse his entire career, and one more will mean nothing but without a reliable presence in the pocket, the weight may be too much to shoulder.
It’s sad to hear the news about Bridgewater but the season will still go on, and the Vikings cannot afford to sit and throw themselves a pity party, they must work the phones and get a deal done for Sanchez.