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.
Teddy Bridgewater needs to restructure his contract
One of the main complications regarding trading Teddy Bridgewater is from a financial standpoint. The quarterback is set to make a base salary of $17 million in 2021 – which is far too much for a backup. So some common ground needs to be found to make acquiring him a more enticing proposition.
The Carolina Panthers could take on some of his guaranteed money as part of a contract restructure, which is something the Denver Broncos are reportedly looking for according to Mike Klis of 9News. It’s going to cost the organization $20 million in dead-cap money to release their marquee free-agent signing last season and $15 million if they decide to cut him loose after June 1, which doesn’t appear feasible in the current climate and with just $16.85 million in salary-cap space remaining, according to Spotrac.
Bridgewater also needs to be a willing party in these negotiations. Not restructuring his contract when the Panthers were cost-cutting prior to free agency would indicate the relationship between the player and those in power isn’t the best currently. So it might be a case of swallowing his prize and moving on.
It appears this is absolutely essential for any trade to happen.
Teams saw Bridgewater’s production with their own eyes in 2020. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he might not be worth the big money coming his way next time around.
Compensation must be agreed
Once the financial implications surrounding a potential trade have been agreed and finalized, then it comes down to the small matter of compensation. The Carolina Panthers are unlikely to want too much for Teddy Bridgewater after everything that’s transpired since the 2020 season came to a conclusion, so perhaps one draft pick is all it will take to rubber-stamp the deal.
General manager Scott Fitterer gained a strong reputation for picking up some late-round gems during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. So if the Panthers could possibly get another mid-rounder in exchange for Bridgewater, they’d be wise to accept.
Teams will also know how desperate Carolina is to part ways with the player, who’ll become an undoubted distraction at OTAs and training camp. This could have an adverse effect on Sam Darnold’s ability to adjust to new surroundings, so the sooner he’s no longer around, the better.
Realistically speaking, somewhere in the region of a fourth or fifth-round pick might be too tempting to ignore at this stage. This would allow Bridgewater to try and make a go of things elsewhere and give the Panthers a valuable selection to strengthen problem areas moving forward.
This is a win-win for all parties involved. But there is much work to be done in order for a trade to take place before the 2021 NFL Draft.