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Mike Zimmer: No timetable on Minnesota Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater's return

By The Sports Xchange
Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer talks with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) before attempting a punt against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter of their AFC Wild Card game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on January 10, 2016. The Seahawks defeated the Vikings 10-9. Photo by Marilyn Indahl/UPI
1 of 3 | Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer talks with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) before attempting a punt against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter of their AFC Wild Card game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on January 10, 2016. The Seahawks defeated the Vikings 10-9. Photo by Marilyn Indahl/UPI | License Photo

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer doesn't know when Teddy Bridgewater will return in 2017 as the quarterback recovers from a torn ACL and left knee dislocation.

Zimmer told ESPN on Sunday morning that the 24-year-old Bridgewater will return the "middle of the year, beginning of the year or end of the year."

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Bridgewater was injured during a non-contact drill at practice on Aug. 30, ending his 2016 season.

"We don't know when Teddy will be back," Zimmer said Sunday.

Bridgewater completed 292 of 447 passes for 3,231 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2015 to lead the Vikings to an NFC North title and garner a Pro Bowl bid.

Following Bridgewater's injury, quarterback Sam Bradford joined the Vikings in a trade Sept. 3 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bradford threw for a career-high 3,877 yards and passed for 20 touchdowns against five interceptions, and also set an NFL single-season record with a 71.6 completion percentage. Bradford, 29, is signed through the 2017 season.

Zimmer, after the Vikings finished out of the playoffs with an 8-8 record, said at his season-ending press conference earlier this month that Bradford "has earned the right to be the starting quarterback."

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Bridgewater, the Vikings' first-round pick in 2014, is under contract at $2.18 million for the 2017 season. The Vikings will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option in May.

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