Bridgewater excited to learn Saints’ offense

Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t mind sitting behind Drew Brees because he’s just excited to study the Saints’ offense from the inside.

Bridgewater, just over a day into his stint with New Orleans after the Jets dealt him and a sixth-round pick for a third-round pick, said he was thrilled to learn of his destination when Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan gave him the news Wednesday. The former first-round pick of the Vikings has been studying the Saints offense since his days as a star quarterback at Louisville.

“I’ve been following this offense since I was in college, and to be able to be a part of it now, it’s a great feeling,” Bridgewater told reporters after the Saints’ 28-0 win over the Rams in their preseason finale Thursday night. “You watch the tape, you look at the numbers and things like that, and you say, ‘Wow.’ It’s an opportunity to be a part of something like that.

“I don’t mind waiting. I get to learn from one of the best players to ever play this game, get to be in the room with a great group of guys, get to learn from Coach [Sean] Payton. So I look forward to that.”

Bridgewater had the opportunity to pick Brees’ brain during the game, with the two sitting out ahead of the Saints’ season opener against the Buccaneers on Sept. 9. It must have been a pinch-yourself moment for Bridgewater after he said he would pick NFL quarterbacks and teams to study each offseason in college to improve his own game.

Payton, who praised Bridgewater’s football IQ , passing accuracy and “winning” qualities, said he had not yet considered signing the 2015 Pro Bowler beyond the 2018 season. Bridgewater agreed he first needs to prove himself to the Saints.

Still, Payton said he loved what he saw from Bridgewater’s preseason with the Jets. The 25-year-old looked strong and nimble in the pocket after missing two full years recovering from a torn ACL, resulting in Bridgewater entering free agency this past offseason and signing a one-year contract with the Jets. He clarified Maccagnan told him about the trade about 30 minutes before the Jets boarded their buses to Philadelphia for Thursday night’s preseason game, laughing off the reports that he had said his goodbyes on the bus.

“It’s not like they put me off on the interstate or something like that,” Bridgewater said.

From there, it was off to New Orleans, where Bridgewater’s long road back to starting in the NFL begins its next chapter.