Bridgewater explains what happened with him and Dolphins. And Preston Williams knee update.
Long before the Dolphins turned to Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency last March, they pursued Teddy Bridgewater to be their starting quarterback in 2019 and potentially beyond.
Speaking about that publicly for the first time on Wednesday, Bridgewater said Miami made a very strong push before he ultimately decided to accept a one-year, $7.25 million deal to remain in New Orleans as a backup.
“It was very tempting,” he said in a conversation at the Miami Beach Convention Center. “You have an opportunity to be home, play in front of your family and friends, the community you grew up was very tempting.”
Bridgewater said he spoke to Dolphins coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier early in free agency.
“Coach Flores is a straightforward guy, told me, ‘We want you.’ But some things just didn’t fall in place the way we all wanted it to.”
He chose to remain in New Orleans because “the Saints showed they really wanted me in different areas. That meant a lot to me, the approach the Saints took. It was an opportunity for me in New Orleans to continue to grow as a player mentally and physically.”
Bridgewater, this past season, appeared in nine games and started five, filling in for injured Drew Brees, and threw nine touchdowns against two interceptions and produced a 99.1 passer rating.
A 2014 first-round pick of the Vikings, Bridgewater will again be a free agent this offseason and his future is uncertain.
Brees, an impending free agent, hasn’t decided whether to retire or keep playing. And Fox’s Jay Glazer said if Brees does retire, the Saints view multipurpose backup Taysom Hill as a legitimate franchise quarterback.
But Bridgewater, 27, wouldn’t be a fit for the Dolphins this offseason because Fitzpatrick is under contract for $8 million (including $4 million guaranteed) and the Dolphins want to find their quarterback of the future in the draft while keeping around Josh Rosen to develop.
Bridgewater was in town to promote Panini America trading cards. A Miami Northwestern alumnus, he will host a sold-out skills clinic this week at Miami Central High. “The school I don’t really like,” he joked, “but it’s for the children and community.”
WILLIAMS UPDATE
Dolphins receiver Preston Williams, whose excellent rookie season ended when he sustained a torn ACL in his left knee against the Jets on Nov. 4, said he is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation and expects to be ready for the regular-season opener in September, if not before.
“I’ll be ready,” he said of the start of the regular season. “I think I’ll be ready.”
Asked if he expects to be ready for training camp, he said: “Whenever I think I can be back out, I’ll be back out there. I like reps. I like practice.”
Physically, he said the knee feels “pretty solid, pretty strong.”
Does it feel normal? “Walking definitely,” he said. “My next step is running.
“Mentally, I’ve been through the injury before so it’s not a mental thing for me. Leaving Week 8, halfway mark of the season, sitting out that whole half of the season bothered me more than anything.”
Williams, one of the league’s best rookie receivers and top undrafted rookies at any position, had 32 receptions for 428 yards (a 13.4 average) and three touchdowns in eight games, including seven starts.
“Definitely seen a level of maturity from Week 1 to Week 8,” he said of his rookie season.
His plan, while continuing to rehab, includes “watching a lot of film, last year’s tape. I want to add more tools to my toolbox and become a more elite receiver.”
He plans to study former NFL All-Pro Randy Moss, as well as current top receivers Mike Evans and Julio Jones and veteran Dolphins receivers DeVante Parker, Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson.
“I’m very encouraged that he’s going to have an excellent NFL career,” receivers coach Karl Dorrell said after Williams’ knee injury. “I know he’ll recover and work and get himself back in the fold. He should be proud of what he’s accomplished, but also he should be hungry; he knows that there’s a lot more out there. I would expect you’re going to see a cleaner, more consistent player the next time he steps on the field.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 2:30 PM.
