Report: There's 'Thought' Teddy Bridgewater Is Saints' Successor for Drew Brees

Teddy Bridgewater is set to make his first start for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, though it may not be his last one despite his pending free agency.

Before Week 17's slate of games, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported the Saints would like Bridgewater back next season and that "there is some thought he's the successor to Drew Brees."

Working against a potential Bridgewater return is that he's likely to garner interest from around the NFL in free agency, especially if he plays well Sunday. For quarterback-needy teams, the 26-year-old Bridgewater may be considered the ideal option given his age and his previous status as a starter in the league before a devastating knee injury nearly ended his career ahead of the 2016 season.

Working in the favor of a potential Bridgewater return, however, is that he may not be the only intriguing veteran on the market. Nick Foles, for instance, doesn't have a long-term future in Philadelphia with Carson Wentz as the team's franchise quarterback. And all Foles has done is win a Super Bowl and save the Eagles' season this year, keeping them in the playoff hunt, so he'll certainly be in demand.

Joe Flacco is another veteran who could be available, with Lamar Jackson seizing the starting role in Baltimore and leading the Ravens to a likely postseason berth. 

Plus, a number of struggling teams could turn to the NFL draft to address the quarterback position. So while there will undoubtedly be a market for Bridgewater this offseason, it's unclear just how lucrative any bidding war for his services will become or whether the Saints will be able to stay in the running. 

Any decision will also come down to how long Brees plans to remain in the NFL. Bridgewater's decision would be far less complicated if the Saints won the Super Bowl this year and Brees decided to finish his career on top, though Brees has already said he doesn't plan to retire after this season.

"No, I don't think so," he told Reggie Bush on the NFL Network in October about the possibility of winning a Super Bowl and calling it quits (h/t James Parks of 247Sports.com). "I'm not making promises either way. That's not my intention. I really am just trying to stay in the moment and take it one game at a time, one year at a time. I do have aspirations to play longer than that."

The Saints may want Bridgewater to be Brees' successor, but if another team offers him an immediate starting position and starting quarterback money, keeping him in New Orleans won't be easy.