3 things that must happen before Teddy Bridgewater is traded
By Dean Jones
What elements need to happen before Teddy Bridgewater is traded from the Carolina Panthers after their decision to acquire Sam Darnold?
The writing appears to be on the wall for Teddy Bridgewater after the Carolina Panthers gave up three draft picks to secure the services of Sam Darnold. The signal-caller has struggled overall during his time with the New York Jets, but the organization is undoubtedly hoping this was down to the player’s environment and not the skills at his disposal.
Either way, this is bad news for Bridgewater, who is set for an early exit after just one season as a starter. Carolina has given him permission to seek a trade away from the franchise, with releasing the former first-round selection unlikely given the dead-cap money involved in this scenario.
This isn’t what anybody wanted. But it was clear from very early on that Bridgewater was only going to take the Panthers so far.
He is limited in terms of throwing ability that is sometimes masked by his accuracy, with the player’s 0-8 record in game-winning or tying drives in 2020 another damning indictment of his overall production.
Bridgewater would probably welcome a fresh start at this juncture. But here are three things that must happen before a potential trade becomes more realistic.
Number 1
Teddy Bridgewater needs a trade partner
The first thing from Bridgewater’s point of view is finding a team that has an interest in bringing him on board. NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport stated that there are a few teams taking a keen interest in the player, with the veteran seen as a solid backup option who could potentially start if a current No. 1 somewhere goes through early-season struggles.
Bridgewater’s agent is probably working hard to bring a willing party to the Panthers in pursuit of striking a deal. This would be the first stepping stone towards trading the Louisville product and one that Carolina is going to consider considering the situation they find themselves in after getting Darnold from the Jets.
Once there is concrete interest from one or more interested teams, then other complex problems can begin to resolve.