Report: Teddy Bridgewater chooses new NFL home in free agency

South Florida native and former star quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals Teddy Bridgewater is on his way back to his home state as a member of the Miami Dolphins. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bridgewater plans to sign with the Dolphins on a one-year deal backing up starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Bridgewater spent last season as the Denver Broncos’ primary starting quarterback. However, after Denver made a massive offseason trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, it was clear that starting for Denver was no longer an option.

The signing of Bridgewater for Miami is a huge plus. Although he has struggled to be a consistent starter since tearing his ACL while with the Minnesota Vikings, Bridgewater is a proven number two quarterback that can help a team stay on course if the starter gets injured. And with Tagovailoa’s injury history, the Dolphins now have somebody to call on for consistent play should he get bit by the injury bug again.

Miami franchise tags Mike Gesicki

The Miami Dolphins opted to use a franchise tag on tight end Mike Gesicki on Tuesday morning ahead of the deadline, according to Adam Schefter. It is the team’s first franchise tag since Jarvis Landry in 2018.

Gesicki would have become an unrestricted free agent if the Dolphins didn’t either come to a contract agreement with the former Penn State star or use the franchise tag. The free agency window begins on March 16 at the start of the new league year.

Based on the NFL’s current tag amount for tight ends, keeping Gesicki will cost Miami $10.931 million in 2022. The amount hits the team’s cap immediately.

Gesicki, the Dolphins’ second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, was a top candidate to receive a tag this offseason. He signed a four-year, $6 million rookie deal, which has now run out. He’s 26 years old and set career-highs this season for Miami.

Gesicki posted 780 yards on 73 receptions, finishing second on the team behind Jaylen Waddle. He also caught two touchdowns. Overall, he has 2,255 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns over four seasons with the Dolphins.

The Dolphins are under new leadership with head coach Mike McDaniels now making the calls. Miami has almost 20 soon-to-be free agents to consider deals with ahead of March 16.

With Gesicki now officially coming back, Tua Tagovailoa knows at least a couple players who’ll be amongst his top targets next season.