Bridgewater: Sitting behind Brees is 'best opportunity for me to grow'

Teddy Bridgewater turned down the chance at a starting job with the Miami Dolphins and reportedly more money this offseason to remain the New Orleans Saints' backup quarterback and the potential successor to Drew Brees.

However, Brees is coming off a season in which he finished second in MVP voting to Patrick Mahomes (the fourth second-place finish of his career) and is unlikely to retire as long as the Saints remain Super Bowl contenders.

Even if he's not the man to replace the future Hall of Famer in New Orleans, Bridgewater believes he couldn't be in a better place for his development.

"This is the best opportunity for me to grow as a player," Bridgewater told Luke Johnson of The Times-Picayune at the end of minicamp.

Bridgewater's long-term approach to his decision is likely motivated by the career-threatening knee injury he suffered in training camp before the 2016 season while he was the starter for the Minnesota Vikings.

He ultimately made a full recovery after missing the entire campaign and received his first start since the injury last year when the Saints opted to rest Brees in the regular-season finale.

"As a competitor, you want to be out there starting and competing," Bridgewater said. "But I just sat back and I weighed my options and thought about what would be best for me.

"This is an opportunity for me to grow, continue to learn and expand my mental capacity as a football player."

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