National Football League

Report: Sam Bradford won't start for the Vikings in Week 1

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:19 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

On Friday morning, the Minnesota Vikings let the world know that they'd picked a starting QB for Week 1 — and that they had no intention of revealing their choice until Sunday.

Unfortunately for Mike Zimmer's crew, the cat is reportedly out of the bag. According to multiple reports, Shaun Hill will get the nod to open the 2016 season over the recently-acquired Sam Bradford.

Via ESPN.com:

Minnesota's first-string QB, Teddy Bridgewater, suffered a torn ACL and dislocated knee from a non-contact injury at practice on Aug. 30. On top of being a devastating injury for Bridgewater personally, his absence is a significant blow to the Vikings' standing as a sleeper Super Bowl contender.

Hill is something of a journeyman at quarterback, having played for the Lions, 49ers, Rams and Vikings. He has thrown just seven total passes in Minnesota, completing two of them. In 2010, he started 10 games for the Lions, completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 2,686 yards, 16 TDs and 12 INTs.

The Vikings acquired Bradford, the former No. 1 overall pick with the Rams, in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles after Bridgewater's injury. Minnesota surrendered a 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 fourth-round pick in the move, which GM Rick Spielman defended earlier this week.