Pre-draft As early as April 2013, Bridgewater was seen as one of the top prospects for the
2014 NFL draft, alongside
Jadeveon Clowney and
Johnny Manziel. Reports said that, had Bridgewater been eligible for the 2013 draft, he most likely would have been the first quarterback taken. At one point, Bridgewater was projected by many to be the first overall pick in the draft. On January 1, 2014, he announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility at Louisville.
Minnesota Vikings 2014 season Bridgewater was selected by the
Minnesota Vikings as the 32nd and final pick of the first round of the draft. Minnesota had traded their second-round and fourth-round picks to the
Seattle Seahawks to move up and select Bridgewater. He signed a four-year contract worth $6.85 million with a $3.3 million signing bonus with the Vikings. Bridgewater entered the season as the second-string quarterback, behind veteran
Matt Cassel, but ahead of
Christian Ponder. During a Week 3 20–9 road loss to the
New Orleans Saints, Bridgewater made his NFL debut, entering in relief of the injured Cassel and finished with 150 passing yards and 27 rushing yards. Bridgewater was named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season after Cassel was placed on
injured reserve with a broken foot. During Week 4, Bridgewater made his first NFL start against the
Atlanta Falcons. He finished the 41–28 victory with 317 passing yards to go along with 27 rushing yards and a touchdown. After spraining his ankle during the Falcons matchup, Bridgewater was inactive for the next game against the
Green Bay Packers. However, he was able to recover in time for the Week 6 game against the
Detroit Lions. Despite his return, a weak offensive line against a strong Lions' defense led to a 17–3 rout. Bridgewater was intercepted thrice, twice from tipped passes, and was sacked eight times. During Week 7 against the
Buffalo Bills, Bridgewater threw his first NFL touchdown pass to
Cordarrelle Patterson. Although he was sacked five times and threw two interceptions, Bridgewater helped the Vikings get a 16–10 lead, but the effort was negated by the Bills' comeback which put them up 17–16 with no time left to retaliate. In the next game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bridgewater threw for 241 yards and a touchdown and was sacked once. He led a game-tying drive to force overtime, where fellow first-round pick
Anthony Barr made a fumble recovery on the Bucs' first overtime play, giving the Vikings a 19–13 overtime road victory. His third win as a starter, a 29–26 comeback victory over the
Washington Redskins, broke a franchise record shared by
Fran Tarkenton and Ponder for wins among starting rookie quarterbacks. In the following weeks, Bridgewater added to this record with wins over the
Carolina Panthers,
New York Jets, and
Chicago Bears (Weeks 13, 14, and 17 respectively). In the win against the Jets, wide receiver
Jarius Wright turned a screen pass from Bridgewater into an 87-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings another overtime victory. Bridgewater finished his rookie year with 2,919 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and an 85.2 passer rating, to go along with 209 rushing yards and a touchdown in 13 games with 12 starts. On January 13, 2015, Bridgewater was selected as the quarterback of the 2014 NFL All-Rookie team by the Pro Football Writers of America, joining
Tommy Kramer as the only Vikings' quarterbacks to claim this award. Bridgewater also won the 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year award, as voted by fans.
2015 season Bridgewater threw for 231 yards and an interception behind a struggling offensive line that allowed five sacks in the season-opening 20–3 road loss to the
San Francisco 49ers. He threw only 18 times the next game, but completed 14 of those passes for 153 yards and threw his first touchdown pass of the year to tight end
Kyle Rudolph in a 26–16 victory over the Lions in Minnesota's home opener. Bridgewater had some struggles the following week against the
San Diego Chargers, going 13 of 24 for 121 yards and one interception but won the game 31–14 with a strong performance by the defense and running back
Adrian Peterson. Bridgewater rebounded in Week 4, going 27-of-41 for 269 yards and a touchdown to
Mike Wallace against the
Denver Broncos who had the number one ranked defense coming into the game. Minnesota still lost on the road 23–20 as Bridgewater was sacked seven times. Coming off of a bye week, Bridgewater threw for 249 yards and another touchdown pass to Rudolph, but threw two interceptions in a 16–10 victory over the
Kansas City Chiefs. Bridgewater then had arguably the best game of his career the following week against the Lions going 25-of-35 for 316 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, including his first touchdown pass to rookie
Stefon Diggs. The 28–19 road victory was Bridgewater's fourth career 300+ yard passing game, and the second 300+ passing game of his career against the Lions. The following week against the Bears, Bridgewater led his fourth career fourth-quarter comeback despite having a below-average day going 17-of-30 for 187 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the 23–20 road victory. Bridgewater went 13 of 21 for 144 yards and an interception while also rushing for a touchdown and two-point conversion against the
St. Louis Rams before sustaining a blow to the head by the Rams' safety
Lamarcus Joyner that caused Bridgewater to leave the game in the fourth quarter. Minnesota still managed to pull off a 21–18 overtime victory. At home against the Bears in Week 15, Bridgewater completed 17 of 20 pass attempts for 231 yards, four touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown during a 38–17 victory, giving him a career-high passer rating (154.4). Two weeks later in a fight for the
NFC North Division Title against the Packers, Bridgewater connected only 52.6% of his passes for 99 yards and an interception. Despite his career-lowest passer rating (45.7), the Vikings pulled off a 20–13 victory and won their first division title since
2009. Bridgewater finished his second professional season with 3,231 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions to go along with 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 16 games and starts. During the Wild Card Round against the Seahawks in one of the coldest games ever played, Bridgewater was 17-of-24 for 146 yards as the Vikings fell 10–9 after
Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal. On January 25, 2016, Bridgewater was named to his first
Pro Bowl.
2016 season During a team practice on August 30, 2016, Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury to his left leg. An ambulance took Bridgewater off the field and the rest of practice was canceled. A subsequent MRI confirmed that he tore his ACL and suffered other structural damage, including a dislocation of the knee joint. The injury was so severe that Bridgewater was at risk of losing his leg, with the surgeon describing it as a "horribly grotesque injury... It's almost like a war wound. Everything is blown." As a result, Bridgewater missed the rest of the 2016 season. After the loss of Bridgewater for at least the 2016 season, the Vikings traded a first-round pick in the
2017 NFL draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in the
2018 NFL draft to the
Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback
Sam Bradford. In 2016, the Vikings went 8–8, finishing third in the NFC North and missing the playoffs, despite starting the season with a 5–0 record.
2017 season The media initially reported that Bridgewater's injury would keep him out for 17–19 months, meaning that he would miss the entire 2017 season. In January 2017, doctors confirmed that the healing would indeed take 19 months. On May 1, 2017, the Vikings declined the fifth-year option on Bridgewater's contract, making him a free agent after the 2017 season. Bridgewater began throwing and doing individual work in May at Vikings mini camps. On June 6, head coach
Mike Zimmer said that Bridgewater "has a long way to go" until being fully healed, but was impressed by his rehabilitation progress to that point. However, on September 2, the Vikings announced that Bridgewater would begin the season on the
PUP list, meaning that he would miss the first six games of the season. On October 16, Bridgewater was cleared to practice, but could not return to action for three more weeks. He was activated off PUP to the active roster on November 8 to be
Case Keenum's backup. Bridgewater entered the Week 15 game against the
Cincinnati Bengals in relief of Keenum in the fourth quarter. The crowd gave Bridgewater a standing ovation as he walked onto the field. Bridgewater finished with an interception out of two pass attempts as the Vikings won 34–7.
New York Jets On March 18, 2018, Bridgewater signed a one-year contract with the Jets. The contract only guaranteed a $500,000 signing bonus, though he could make up to a maximum of $15 million from a non-guaranteed salary and incentives.
New Orleans Saints 2018 season On August 29, 2018, the Jets traded Bridgewater and a
2019 sixth-round draft pick to the
New Orleans Saints for a 2019 third-round draft pick. Bridgewater made his Saints debut in Week 5 against the Redskins, taking a knee twice to close out the 43–19 victory. He did this in two more games later in the season. On December 28, with the Saints already having locked up the #1-seed, the team announced that Bridgewater would start in the season finale against the Panthers. Making his first start since 2015, Bridgewater finished the 33–14 loss completing 14 of 22 passes for 118 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while also rushing for 12 yards.
2019 season On March 15, 2019, Bridgewater signed a one-year, $7.25 million fully guaranteed contract with the Saints. During Week 2 against the
Los Angeles Rams, Bridgewater replaced
Drew Brees, who left with a right thumb injury, completing 17 of 30 passes for 165 yards in the 27–9 road loss. Due to Brees' injury, Bridgewater was named the starting quarterback for Week 3 matchup against the Seahawks. He finished the 33–27 road victory completing 19-of-27 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, marking the first game where Bridgewater threw for more than one touchdown in a game since Week 15 of the 2015 season. Two weeks later against the Buccaneers, Bridgewater threw for 314 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception in the 31–24 victory. In the next game against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, he had 240 passing yards and a touchdown during the 13–6 road victory. During a Week 7 36–25 road victory over the Bears, Bridgewater threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Brees returned from his injury in Week 8 against the
Arizona Cardinals. Bridgewater finished the 2019 season with 1,384 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions in nine games and five starts.
Carolina Panthers On March 26, 2020, Bridgewater signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Panthers. Bridgewater made his Panthers debut in the season-opening 34–30 loss to the
Las Vegas Raiders and finished with 269 passing yards, including a 75-yard touchdown to former Jets teammate
Robby Anderson. In the next game against the Buccaneers, Bridgewater threw for 367 yards and two interceptions during the 31–17 road loss. The following week against the
Los Angeles Chargers, Bridgewater had 235 passing yards and a touchdown during the 21–16 road victory. This was Bridgewater's first win as a Panther. During Week 5 against the Falcons, Bridgewater threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns in the 23–16 victory. In Week 9 against the Chiefs, he threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 19 yards and another touchdown during the narrow 33–31 loss. Bridgewater finished the 2020 season with career-high totals in several statistics, including completions (340), passing yards (3,733), touchdowns (15) and rushing yards (279).
Denver Broncos On April 28, 2021, weeks after the Panthers acquired
Sam Darnold in a trade with the Jets, Bridgewater was traded to the Broncos in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round pick. The team brought in Bridgewater to compete with incumbent quarterback
Drew Lock, and the players split starts throughout the 2021 preseason. On August 25, the Broncos announced that Bridgewater had won the starting job. On September 12, Bridgewater made his Broncos debut on the road against the
New York Giants, completing 28-of-36 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns in a 27–13 season-opening victory. He then led the team to 2–0 with a victory over the Jaguars in Week 2 with a 328-yard, two-touchdown day. The Broncos started 3–0 before losing five of their next seven games. Bridgewater suffered a concussion in the Week 15 loss to the Bengals (which made them 7–7) that would rule him out for the rest of the season. Bridgewater was placed on injured reserve on January 5, 2022. Bridgewater finished the 2021 season with 3,052 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to go along with 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Miami Dolphins On March 17, 2022, Bridgewater signed a one-year contract with the
Miami Dolphins worth up to $10 million. Bridgewater made his Dolphins debut in Week 3 against the Bills after starter
Tua Tagovailoa briefly left the game in the second quarter. He attempted two passes and was sacked once before Tagovailoa returned in the second half. In the next game against the Bengals, Bridgewater came in the second quarter after Tagovailoa left the game with a head and neck injury. Bridgewater threw for 193 yards, a touchdown, and an interception during the 27–15 loss. The following week against his former team, the Jets, Bridgewater committed an intentional grounding penalty that occurred in the endzone for a safety. During the play, he was hit by
Sauce Gardner and left the game due to a concussion. During Week 6 against his former team, the Vikings, Bridgewater came into the game in relief of
Skylar Thompson and passed for 329 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the 24–16 loss. Following
Tua Tagovailoa entering concussion protocols after their Week 16 loss against the Packers, head coach
Mike McDaniel announced that Bridgewater would start against the
New England Patriots in Week 17. In the game, Bridgewater completed 12-of-19 passes for 161 yards, a touchdown, and an interception that was returned for a touchdown before exiting the game in the third quarter after suffering a broken finger in his throwing hand. The Dolphins went on to lose 23–21. Due to Bridgewater's injury, third-string rookie quarterback
Skylar Thompson made his second start of the season in Week 18 against the Jets.
Detroit Lions On August 10, 2023, Bridgewater signed with the Lions, a move which reunited him with
Dan Campbell, the assistant head coach during his time with the Saints. On December 16, 2023, Bridgewater announced his plans to retire from the NFL following the conclusion of the season, and become a high school football coach. Bridgewater was named head football coach at Miami Northwestern on February 2, 2024. A year after retirement, Bridgewater announced on
NFL Network that he intended to continue his playing career in the NFL, and he was re-signed by the Lions on December 26, 2024, joining
Hendon Hooker in backing up starting quarterback
Jared Goff for the remainder of the season. Bridgewater briefly appeared in the
Divisional Round game against the
Washington Commanders, relieving
Jared Goff who underwent concussion evaluation for three plays during the second quarter. He completed his only pass for three yards, and handed off the ball in a trick play that led to a 61-yard rushing touchdown from
Jameson Williams. Goff returned after the next possession, although the Lions were ultimately upset 45–31 and knocked out of the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers On August 5, 2025, Bridgewater signed with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers after resigning as head coach for
Miami Northwestern Senior High School. He appeared in relief of
Baker Mayfield in Week 12 against the
Los Angeles Rams.
Detroit Lions (second stint) On March 24, 2026, Bridgewater signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions. ==Career statistics==