Teddy Bridgewater will start for New Orleans on Sunday

With the No. 1 seed in the NFC already locked up, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton announced Friday that Teddy Bridgewater will start at quarterback for the team’s regular season finale against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

The Saints acquired Bridgewater from the New York Jets along with a sixth-round draft pick in exchange for a third-rounder back in August. He’s served as the primary backup to potential league MVP Drew Brees all season long, but has attempted just one pass.

Bridgewater’s performance on Sunday could go a long way towards determining where he’ll be spending the 2019 season. Franchises like Denver, Miami and Jacksonville that are in need of a quality signal caller will almost certainly be paying special attention. That’s especially true given that an already weak class for quarterbacks was made even weaker by this week’s news that Oregon QB Justin Herbert will be returning to Eugene for the 2019 season.

Ball out, Ted.