Mike Zimmer Says Teddy Bridgewater Trying to Get Ready to Play After Knee Injury

Teddy Bridgewater hasn't touched the gridiron since suffering a severe knee injury last August, but Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said Tuesday the 24-year-old is "all in, trying to get ready to play" this season.  

"I don't watch him every single day because he's over there off to the side while we're practicing," Zimmer said, per ESPN.com news services. "But the reports I get are all positive. And he knows where he's at and where he's got to get to. I think he's progressing well."

It's essentially the same sentiment Zimmer expressed Saturday, when he told Fox Sports' Jay Glazer there was "a possibility" Bridgewater could return in 2017. 

The Vikings placed Bridgewater on the physically unable to perform list when training camp opened in late July. If Bridgewater is not removed before Week 1, he will miss the first six games of the season. 

But even if Bridgewater works his way back to 100 percent, the Vikings don't have much incentive to let him see the field this year. 

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, language in the league's labor deal states Bridgewater's contract will toll from 2017 to 2018 if he remains on the PUP list all season. 

That's a crucial loophole, namely because it will allow the Vikings to maintain one more year of team control after they previously declined Bridgewater's 2018 contract option. 

And with starter Sam Bradford in a walk year, Minnesota will need all of the financial flexibility it can get as it attempts to sort out its future under center.