It's not uncommon for athletes to have special bonds with their mothers, but new Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is particularly close with his mom, Rose Murphy.

When Bridgewater was growing up, Murphy developed breast cancer. This past week, Bridgewater gave his mom a pink Cadillac Escalade to celebrate the fact that she beat cancer. Though it was initially assumed he bought the vehicle for her, he made it clear Friday that Cadillac was the, ahem, driving force behind the gift.

"First I would just like to say thanks to Cadillac. They heard our story and they made everything happen that day," Bridgewater said.

Still, it's quite a Mother's Day gift to Murphy, who wasn't at Bridgewater's introductory news conference but is expected to arrive in the Twin Cities on Sunday.

"It was a great feeling knowing that I was able to do that for my mom, and I'm pretty sure she's very happy, especially that Mother's Day is right around the corner," Bridgewater said Friday.

MICHAEL RAND