How would things have changed...?

[vike daddy]

let's imagine a scenario where Teddy Bridgewater never blew up his knee, remained the starting QB for the team, and was, let's say, a top 12 QB for us.

what would we be paying him now? what other players might be on the team, with the savings from not having Bradford or Cousins? would our 2017 season had been better or worse than with Case at the helm?

[Klomp]

4 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

let's imagine a scenario where Teddy Bridgewater never blew up his knee, remained the starting QB for the team, and was, let's say, a top 12 QB for us.

what would we be paying him now? what other players might be on the team, with the savings from not having Bradford or Cousins? would our 2017 season had been better or worse than with Case at the helm?

If he was a Top 12 QB, we'd be paying him Cousins money, or close to it. There wouldn't be much savings. Only real difference between the teams is we'd have that pick from the Bradford trade.

A successful starting QB on a team making playoff runs doesn't get signed on the cheap.

[wcblack34]

We would have held his 5th year option, which means he'd be playing this season at a reduced rate. We would likely either be extending him, or had already given him an extension that would put him around the 22-24 million dollar mark, but that extension likely wouldn't have kicked in until next season.

Teddy would have presumably played the 2016 season as well, and would have made some strides forward. In 2017, he would have been more familiar with the offense and had chemistry with the players on that side of the ball. That may have led to a more efficient offense. The team may have had about the same success in the playoffs. However, without Bradford's contract, we may have been able to add a couple more pieces on the offensive line, which was obviously our Achilles heel against Philadelphia. We may have already locked up Diggs and Barr as well.

All in all, I think we would have had an even more complete team than we have now, but we would still be looking at giving Teddy a lucrative extension this year or next.

[vike daddy]

who would have been available to draft with the 1st round pick we gave up for Bradford...?

[SemperFeist]

50 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

who would have been available to draft with the 1st round pick we gave up for Bradford...?

Derek Barnett, Malik Hooker, Jonathan Allen, Garrett Bolles, Jabril Peppers, Ryan Ramczyk, Buffalo Baker, Forest Lamp, etc. 

 

[Krauser]

This makes me sad but it’s interesting so...

2016:

If Teddy carried his performance over from preseason, the downfield passing attack would’ve been good, at least until the OL fell apart. That said, they maybe lose the stadium opener where they beat the Packers narrowly after an amazing game by Bradford (maybe the best single performance of his career) — I don’t think Bridgewater would’ve made a couple of those throws that ended up being the difference in the game.

Once the OL collapsed and Peterson went on IR, I think the rest of the season would’ve gone a little better with Bridgewater than it did with Bradford — Teddy could’ve used his mobility to mitigate pressure, and would’ve been less likely to get rid of the ball immediately to his first read. Few games in particular I think they could’ve won with Teddy are the Thanksgiving loss to the Lions (Bradford completed 31/37 but didn’t throw it past the sticks on 3rd down until the last play of the game when he tossed a game ending INT), the following week’s close loss at home to Dallas on TNF (Bradford again had a bunch of short completions that didn’t move the sticks), and maybe one of the road losses in Washington (Bradford throws a game ending INT) or Chicago (Bradford takes a bunch of sacks and the offense is completely stymied). Not that they would’ve run the table in those games, but maybe they win 2 of them.

Net effect of subtracting the home win against GB and adding 2 more wins is that they finish 9-7 instead of 8-8, which might’ve been enough to get them in the playoffs as a 6 seed if one of the wins was against the Lions (the actual 6 seed). They might have still missed out, since the Bucs were also 9-7.  If they did make it in with that record, they would’ve faced the Seahawks for the second straight year in the wild card round, and I doubt they would’ve had a chance with that OL playing in Seattle (the Lions lost, 26-6).

2017:

Vikings announce they’ve picked up Teddy’s 5th year option, for 2018, which would be something like $18M this year. They might have been willing to negotiate an extension at that point, with effectively 2 years remaining, but I think that would’ve been put off until after the 2017 season. If Teddy does sign long term heading into his 4th year, his contract probably comes in a little cheaper than Derek Carr’s ($125M/5), priced a little lower for lower volume stats (passing yards and TDs), and of course Carr led the 2016 Raiders to 12-4 and got MVP votes. Guessing Teddy would more likely wait another year and hope to get more money after 2017. 

In that year’s draft the Vikings keep the pick they sent to the Eagles, but it’s a little later in the round, roughly pick 20. We know how much they loved Cook, so maybe they take him at that pick, or trade down a little and take him — with a lower draft position they probably wouldn’t have been able to draft him by trading up in the 2nd round without giving up more in the trade. Best pick in hindsight would’ve been Ramczyk, and if they missed out on Cook, maybe they could’ve taken Elflein in the mid 2nd (not early 3rd) and then their next RB target in the 3rd, Kareem Hunt. 

With Teddy as QB1 all year, still healthy, they probably end up with a very similar W-L record as they did with Keenum — maybe they lose the Thanksgiving Lions game which was Keenum’s big moment, but win the home Lions game where Cook tore his ACL. Ramczyk plays RT when Remmers gets hurt, which mitigates some of the late season struggles of the OL dealing with injuries, but they probably still lose in Carolina thanks to the defense uncharacteristically giving up several big plays on 3rd down, and in Pittsburgh too. So I’ll still put them at 13-3. 

The Vikings win the Saints playoff game more easily with Ramczyk at RT in purple and Hunt as RB1. Teddy doesn’t throw that INT in the 3rd quarter so we never get to see the Minneapolis Miracle. The following week in Philadelphia, the team is more grounded and doesn’t fall apart on offense after the first quarter. Neither big turnover happens, because Ramczyk doesn’t allow the QB hit on the pick 6, and Teddy gets rid of the ball in the red zone before the DE (not Barnett, the Eagles don’t get a 1st round pick in 2017) strip sacks him. Even so, the Eagles offense still opens up the Vikings defense and Foles starts his improbable journey to Super Bowl MVP by beating the Vikings 31-24. 

2018:

Teddy signs his extension, now for closer to Garoppolo money ($27M per) since his team has been to the playoffs 2 or 3 of the last 3 years and his W-L record is 39-21. His cap numbers end up quite similar to Cousins over the next 3 years, but a little cheaper.

With Ramczyk and RG Remmers on the right side of the line, Vikings fans are comfortable with a BPA approach to the 2018 draft. They take Hughes at 30 and then trade up for Dallas Goedert in the middle of the 2nd round, using the 5th later spent on Conklin and the 4th traded to the Eagles in the Bradford deal.

...

Net results: similar regular season and post season record, no Minneapolis miracle but a less devastating loss in the NFCCG, a slightly better long term cap situation, and the following roster changes: Bridgewater instead of Cousins, Hunt instead of Cook, Ramczyk instead of O’Neill, Goedert instead of Conklin. 

[SteelKing728]

I think we make the playoffs in the 2016 and probably win the division, even with GB's late comeback that season. I don't think we get past the Divisional Round.

I think we could have won it all with him totally healthy in 2017 though.

Like Krauser said, this thread makes me sad. I truly did believe that Teddy and the Vikings would take that next step.

[Guest]

I think with a healthy Bridgewater in 2017 the Vikings might have had a better offensive line, and would've beaten the Eagles in the NFCCG.

[SemperFeist]

If Teddy never gets hurt, Norv Turner is likely still the OC. 

[Krauser]

2 hours ago, SemperFeist said:

If Teddy never gets hurt, Norv Turner is likely still the OC. 

Disagree, Shurmur and Sparano were brought in after 2015 because Zimmer (evidently) wasn't happy with the direction of the offense. If the OL injuries still happen and the Eagles and Bears games are still disasters schematically and by results, Turner is still being asked to resign midseason.