Teddy Bridgewater 'excited' about joining the Jets, but will he be on Week 1 roster?

Andy Vasquez | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Jets GM Mike Maccagnan talks free agency strategy General manager Mike Maccagnan talks about how the Jets will approach free agency, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Teddy Bridgewater might be one of the most compelling players to wear a Jets uniform this season. Or he might get cut before the season begins.

Details emerged about Bridgewater's contract on Monday. And according to multiple reports, the Jets committed only $500,000 guaranteed to the former Pro Bowl quarterback who hasn't played regularly since suffering a devastating knee injury in 2016. So if things don't go well in the during offseason workouts and training camp, the Jets could move on from Bridgewater easily.

Here are the details of the deal, according to multiple reports: Bridgewater has a non-guaranteed base salary of $5 million for 2018 and could make up to $9 million more in incentives. He received a $500,000 signing bonus and stands to get a $500,000 workout bonus. The maximum value of the contract is $15 million.

If Bridgewater stays through training camp and doesn't pan out, the Jets can move on after spending only $1 million on him: the signing bonus and the workout bonus. So it's a low-risk deal for a team that already has a quarterback in Josh McCown and is looking to draft another with the No. 3 pick next month.

But if Bridgewater stays healthy, plays well and becomes the starter, he stands to make a huge sum of money. So the deal allows Bridgewater to bet on himself and show where he stands as he tries to start the second chapter of his career.

Bridgewater, 25, made the 2015 Pro Bowl with the Vikings and looked like the kind of player who would be a long-term starter in this league. But in late August 2016, he suffered a devastating, non-contact injury in practice, tearing his ACL and dislocating his knee.

Bridgewater has essentially missed two seasons since the injury. He was cleared to return to practice in October but threw only two passes on one brief appearance in 2017.

No one can be sure how Bridgewater's surgically repaired knee will hold up, or if he can be the same kind of player. That's why the Jets got him on such a low-risk deal.

But we'll soon start to find out what Bridgewater looks like. He passed his physical and the Jets officially announced his signing Sunday.

“I’m excited about the direction we’re headed in," Bridgewater told the Jets' website. "I’m excited to be a part of something that can be very special and I just look forward to getting to work with the guys and a great year.”

McCown will likely go into off-season workouts as the starting quarterback. But expect the Jets to give Bridgewater plenty of snaps during spring workouts and training camp so they can evaluate where he's at. Bridgewater will probably have to compete with another quarterback for the backup job; the Jets are expected to use the No. 3 overall pick to select a quarterback.

The Jets haven't been to the playoffs since 2010, and they're coming off of back-to-back five-win seasons. But Bridgewater is excited about what he's seen so far.

“It’s a young team, an ambitious team,” Bridgewater said. “The coaching staff has positive energy, great energy and I think that with the combination of the talent that’s on the team, that’s something special to be a part of.”

We'll see if Bridgewater is actually on the roster when the season starts..

Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com

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