Bridgewater proved Broncos GM Paton right about Rodgers

Teddy Bridgewater proved George Paton right on Sunday without taking a step on the field.

Trading for the veteran quarterback ahead of the NFL Draft in April was a sensible move for the first-year general manager. Paton had worked previously with Bridgewater in Minnesota, and the Broncos needed a veteran to push Drew Lock for the starting role.

But that plan nearly went right out the window when trade rumors involving Green Bay Packers superstar Aaron Rodgers started swirling on Day 1 of the draft.

Thank goodness the transaction never went down.

While Rodgers was left behind for Green Bay’s trip to Kansas City on Sunday due to a positive COVID-19 test — which led to the revelation this week that the quarterback was unvaccinated — Bridgewater was able to suit up for Denver because he was.

The Denver Post’s Ryan O’Halloran reported on Sunday that Lock told the team before leaving for Dallas that he had contact with a person outside the organization who tested positive for COVID-19. Himself vaccinated, Lock tested negative on Saturday and was able to fly with the team.

However, Lock tested positive Sunday before the game and was deactivated. Subsequently, Bridgewater, who is a close contact for Lock, wasn’t cleared to play until five minutes before pregame warmups.

Had Bridgewater tested positive or, more importantly, not been vaccinated, he would not have been able to lead Denver to an upset win over Dallas.

“We had a scare in the morning. Thought it might’ve been Kendall Hinton, the sequel,” head coach Vic Fangio said after the game.

Instead, Bridgewater went 19-for-28 for 249 yards and a touchdown in the 30-16 win over the Cowboys.

Is Bridgewater the future under center for Denver for the foreseeable future? Probably not.

But while Rodgers was sidelined for Green Bay’s 13-7 loss, sulking about the “woke mob,” Bridgewater demonstrated his leadership by not exposing his team to another emergency quarterback situation.