Broncos insider reveals major pre-condition to Teddy Bridgewater trade

The Denver Broncos are expected to have a couple of conditions before they make a move to acquire Teddy Bridgewater from the Carolina Panthers.

Teddy Bridgewater appears to be heading out of the door after the Carolina Panthers secured the services of Sam Darnold from the New York Jets. The organization made no secret of their intent to get additional options at the quarterback position this offseason and now that they have their man, the former first-round pick has reportedly been granted permission to seek a move away from the franchise.

This wasn’t how any party wanted this to play out.

In an ideal world, Bridgewater would have made the most out of another starting opportunity in Carolina and led the team to a winning record. But the simple fact of the matter is he failed to get the job done when it mattered most and left the Panthers with no alternative other than to go in a different direction.

According to Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network, a few teams are looking at Bridgewater to boost depth at the position. This would be music to the Panthers’ ears and might see them get another valuable draft pick to aid their progression. But there are plenty of complicated factors that need to be resolved before a trade can go through.

One such team is expected to be the Denver Broncos, who still don’t know what they really have in Drew Lock and could take a chance on the Louisville product providing the price is right.

Broncos want money off before trading for Teddy Bridgewater.

Mike Klis, who covers the Broncos for 9News and is more in the know than most, spoke about the topic on 104.3 The FAN’s Stokley and Zach show and said Denver was “in” on Bridgewater, providing there were some sacrifices from the player and the Panthers before a deal can be agreed.

"“I really think most teams are interested in Bridgewater if Carolina releases him. The Broncos would be interested in Bridgewater competing with Drew Lock. Either Carolina has to pay some sort of guarantee, or release him.”"

Bridgewater is set to make a base salary of $17 million in 2021 as part of the three-year, $63 million deal he signed during free agency that also included a $15 million signing bonus and $33 million guaranteed. It’s not hard to see why this is a stumbling block for a potential trade, which makes the decision to give the player such a contract when he hadn’t started a full season since 2015 all the more bizarre.

Simply releasing Bridgewater is out of the question for Carolina, who would be absorbing a whopping $20 million dead-cap figure before June 1 and $15 million after if they parted ways with the quarterback.

Considering how much teams are up against it this offseason with a reduced cap, agreeing to pay part of the money owed in exchange for a mid-round draft pick might be a sacrifice they’re willing to make.

At this stage, Bridgewater probably wants to get away and start fresh for a second straight year. The benefits of moving to a Denver team that has some nice offensive weapons is an enticing one, but there are some major hurdles to overcome beforehand that the signal-caller also needs to play a part in.

This was one of the worst contracts ever given out by the Panthers. And if the team wants to remove Bridgewater from the equation, they’ll be paying for some time yet.