Teddy Bridgewater was supposed to help the Carolina Panther organisation transition into a contender again. But only a year after committing to a major contract, The Panthers organisation traded for former Jets QB Sam Darnold yesterday, putting Teddy, in all likeliness, on the trading block.
Advertisement
Teddy Bridgewater Contract 2020
Teddy Bridgewater signed a 3 year $63M dollar contract in 2019. The problem for the Panthers is that the contract given to Bridgewater last year includes $10 million in fully-guaranteed salary for 2021, with another $7 million in non-guaranteed salary on top of that.
However, Teddy could look to restructure his contract so he doesn’t get cut by the team midway through the season. By taking lesser money, Bridgewater could still find a number of suitors for his talents. With that said, here are the top 3 landing spots for Teddy Bridgewater:
Denver Broncos
Teddy Bridgewater was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014. He was steadily ascending in his first 2 seasons in Minnesota, leading the team to an 11-5 record in 2015. But tragically, Bridgewater’s career came to a standing halt after a horrific leg injury that sidelined him for the entire 2016 and all but 1 game in 2017.
Former Vikings Assistant, George Paton, is now the GM for the Broncos. The Denver Broncos are looking for an upgrade over current QB Drew Lock after a dismal 2020 season. With a team that is loaded with weapons, all that Paton needs to do is find a QB that can lead them to the Promised Land.
Paton could be intrigued by the possibility of giving Bridgewater a chance to grow into the job with the Broncos while otherwise looking for a long-term fix — if they need one.
The New England Patriots
The Patriots look like a completely different team after signing multiple quality Free Agents in the past month. They did re-sign starting QB Cam Newton, but with the contract being heavily incentive-based, there is no reason that the Patriots couldn’t swing a trade for Teddy Bridgewater.
Both Teddy Bridgewater and Cam Newton had under par seasons in 2020, but Teddy will still be an upgrade over Newton if Newton plays like he did last season. It’s also looking more and more likely that the Patriots, who hold the 15th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft will miss out on the top five QBs.
A quality and proven game manager like Teddy could push the Patriots over the edge in a competitive AFC East. With the defence weapons returning and a revamped offence, Bridgewater could fit in nicely in Josh McDaniel’s Offence in 2021.
New Orleans Saints
Perhaps the least likely amongst the 3, Teddy Bridgewater could return to the Superdome as the Saints will try to make another run at a Super Bowl. Teddy had immense success in Sean Payton offence back in 2019. He went 5-0 in Drew Brees’ absence and threw 9 interceptions to only 2 interceptions.
The team have committed to QB Jamies Winston as the starter for 2021 with QB Taysom Hill being used as the gadget play guy. But if Jamies Winston is still the turnover-prone QB that he was in Tampa Bay, he could hurt a team that is primed to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Teddy Bridgewater knows the system and could slide in anytime to backup Jamies. And could also possibly take over that starting job. Payton had made it clear on several occasions that Bridgewater deserved to be a starter. So he could look to bring his former backup back to the Saints.
Teddy Bridgewater has proven that he is capable of being a starter in the NFL. Unfortunately for him, 2020 was a season to forget. Where he ends up come training camp could be anybody’s guess. Hopefully, he can bounce back and silence all his doubter.
