4 reasons the Panthers won’t move on from Teddy Bridgewater
By Dean Jones
Teddy Bridgewater’s contract situation
Another reason why the Carolina Panthers won’t be going in a different direction from Teddy Bridgewater next season is his contract. The former Louisville standout signed a three-year, $63 million deal that included a $15 million signing bonus and $33 million guaranteed this offseason. So getting rid of him at this stage just doesn’t make any sense from a financial standpoint whatsoever.
Besides, he isn’t playing poorly enough to be cut loose.
The Panthers didn’t make a big commotion by signing Bridgewater and releasing Cam Newton to part ways with the signal-caller at the first opportunity. However, if there is still some uncertainty regarding his production following the 2021 campaign then a possible departure ahead of time is not out of the realms of possibility.
Carolina gave themselves an out regarding Bridgewater’s contract in 2022. This would save them around $21 million out of the $26 million he is set to count against their salary cap.
Compare that to a whopping $20 million dead cap figure with a parting of the ways next spring, and it seems unfathomable for the Panthers to put themselves in this sort of hole with the cap set to either remain the same or come down as a result of COVID-19 revenue losses.