NFL: Teddy Bridgewater Butterfly Effect continues to grow

One injury has had a tremendous effect on several NFL teams over several seasons

The NFL has seen few injuries like the one Teddy Bridgewater suffered one week before the 2017 NFL season kicked off. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback dislocated his knee and suffered torn ligaments in practice, forcing him to miss nearly two years worth of football.

Fast forward to Tuesday, a day before the two-year anniversary of Bridgewater’s injury, and the 25-year-old has been traded to the New Orleans Saints. He’s now set to be the backup and potential heir to Drew Brees after the New York Jets shipped him and a sixth-round pick to the Saints for a third-round pick.

This move extends a ripple effect Bridgewater’s injury has had across the league, one that has affected teams across both conferences.

Here’s a breakdown of what teams were affected directly by this deal in a ripple effect that will continue to grow as time rolls on.

Philadelphia: To start, because Bridgewater went down the Vikings had to acquire a starting quarterback. They had Shaun Hill and Joel Stave, which spelled disaster for them.

Sam Bradford in Philadelphia fit the bill, costing a first and fourth-round pick. Bradford leaving Philadelphia meant Carson Wentz started week one, and would eventually lead the Eagles towards a Super Bowl last year.

Philadelphia drafts Derek Barnett, who recovered Tom Brady’s fumble in the Super Bowl, and trade up with Kansas City to draft Donnel Pumphrey.

Minnesota: With Bradford in hand, the Vikings went 8-8 in 2016 and signed Case Keenum to back him up. Keenum becomes the starter after Bradford gets hurt and leads the Vikings to the NFC Championship game. Minnesota goes into free agency and woos Kirk Cousins with a fully-guaranteed three-year deal.

Denver: After going 5-11 with Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Brock Osweiler, the Broncos sign Keenum to a two-year deal worth $36 million. Keenum would have never gotten that deal if he didn’t go to the Vikings and start over Bradford.

Washington: With their franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins set to become a free agent, the Redskins are forced to look elsewhere for a quarterback. They trade for Alex Smith from Kansas City to keep the ship afloat.

Washington also receives picks in the 2017 NFL Draft, later explained, which led to them drafting Chase Roullier and Josh Harvey-Clemons.

Kansas City: Alex Smith is gone, it’s now the Patrick Mahomes show. Kansas City picks up a third round pick and Kendall Fuller in exchange for Smith. That third round pick is flipped to Cincinnati, and subsequent draft picks turn into Breeland Speeks and Dorian O’Daniel.