Vikings Will Face Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater, Philip Rivers on New Teams in 2020

Tom Brady, starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Philip Rivers, starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.

Teddy Bridgewater, starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.

It sounds weird, but it's reality. All three of those QBs found new homes on Tuesday, and the NFL is going to look a lot different next season as a result.

The Vikings will have an up-close look at each of them in 2020; they're set to travel to Tampa Bay and Indianapolis next year and will host Carolina at U.S. Bank Stadium. Here's a look at each of the three deals and what to expect when Mike Zimmer and the Vikings face off with these new-look teams.

Tom Brady to the Bucs

In what has to be the biggest NFL news of the week, Tom Brady will not be finishing his career as a Patriot. The 20-year veteran, 14-time Pro Bowler, six-time Super Bowl champion and three-time MVP has a deal in place with the Buccaneers for around $30 million per year, according to multiple reports. And so ends a lengthy sweepstakes for the services of (arguably) the greatest QB of all time, one that apparently came down to the Bucs and Chargers after it was announced that Brady would be moving on from the Patriots.

Tom Brady is now in the NFC. And with the talent around him on both offense and defense, the Buccaneers now must be considered serious contenders in the conference. Brady hasn't had a pair of receivers as talented as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin since he was throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker in 2009.

What we know: the Vikings will take a trip to Tampa Bay at some point during the 2020 season, as part of the rotating schedule that pits the NFC North and NFC South against each other this fall. What we don't know: when that game will happen, and what the Vikings' defense will look like. Another thing we know: the Vikings will be looking to beat Brady – who will be 43 when the season starts – for the first time ever. He went 5-0 against Minnesota as a member of the Patriots, winning those games (in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018) by an average of 15.6 points.

Philip Rivers to Indy

It got quickly overshadowed by the Brady news, but it's going to be almost equally weird to see Rivers in a Colts uniform next season. While Brady's 20 years with the Patriots are the most ever for a quarterback with a single team, Rivers' 16 years as a Charger aren't far behind. Rivers hasn't had nearly the same team success as Brady – he has also never played for Bill Belichick – but he's consistently been one of the league's best quarterbacks for over a decade.

Now he's headed to take over for Jacoby Brissett in Indianapolis, and the Colts remain on the hunt for a new franchise quarterback after Andrew Luck's shocking retirement last August. Rivers signed a one-year, $25 million deal and will provide an upgrade in 2020; he's familiar with head coach Frank Reich from Reich's time with the Chargers and should benefit from playing behind the Colts' offensive line. But it's safe to say Rivers' best days are behind him, so we'll see if he is still capable of leading the Colts to the playoffs.

Rivers is just 1-3 lifetime against the Vikings, including a blowout loss last season in which he threw three bad interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

Teddy Bridgewater finally gets paid

How about the comeback story for Teddy Bridgewater? When Bridgewater suffered a gruesome, disastrous knee injury in late August of 2016, the trajectory of his career and the direction of the Vikings franchise were both immediately altered.

One of the cooler moments in recent Vikings history came when Bridgewater took the field during a regular season game at U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time. It was December 17th, 2017, late in a meaningless game against the Bengals. An almost universally beloved figure by Vikings fans, Bridgewater received an incredible ovation from the home crowd as he took over for Case Keenum in mop-up duty. He ended up throwing an interception on his first pass attempt and only took nine snaps, but that didn't matter to anyone.

Two years ago today: the return of @teddyb_h2o. After the Minneapolis Miracle, this is probably the loudest/coolest moment in US Bank Stadium history. pic.twitter.com/yMJY7SLyyN
— Eric Thompson (@eric_j_thompson) December 17, 2019

Bridgewater hit free agency after that season and has spent the last two years backing up Drew Brees in New Orleans. He made five starts in 2019 with Brees injured, winning them all. Now he's a franchise quarterback again. Bridgewater signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Panthers and will get the chance to lead a team for the first time since 2015. It may not be pretty right away, but the Panthers will look to build around Bridgewater and Christian McCaffrey under new head coach Matt Rhule.

I'd expect a similar ovation for Teddy when Carolina visits Minneapolis this fall.

Check out the Vikings' full slate of opponents here.

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