Why Teddy Bridgewater might not be traded during the draft

There appears little chance of Teddy Bridgewater being on the Carolina Panthers in 2021, but that does not mean he’ll be traded during the NFL Draft.

Teddy Bridgewater faces an uncertain future with the Carolina Panthers, to put it mildly. The quarterback went through his fair share of difficulties during his first year under center and the front office made absolutely no secret of their desire to get a potential upgrade that eventually saw them make a bold move to acquire Sam Darnold from the New York Jets.

Whether the former USC star is going to be everything the Panthers hope for remains to be seen. Darnold’s production with the Jets wouldn’t inspire anybody with confidence, so Carolina is clearly betting on the signal-caller being a product of his environment in New York and not his lack of ability.

Darnold is walking into a much better situation. He has weapons all over the offense and providing the protection gets some upgrades during the 2021 NFL Draft, there will be no excuses for the player in a different environment.

As for Bridgewater, the Panthers have given him permission to seek a trade away from the team, which hasn’t brought anything in the way of a concrete offer as yet. General manager Scott Fitter said in his Friday presser that talks are ongoing between all parties, but as of right now, he is still part of the team.

"“We’ve had a lot of dialogue with Teddy and his agent and Teddy is part of our team right now and that’s where we’re at.”"

Interested teams might wait for Teddy Bridgewater.

There is hope that someone will take on the Louisville product during the draft. But there is a major stumbling block after the Panthers inexplicably gave Bridgewater a three-year, $63 million deal with a $15 million signing bonus and $33 million guaranteed despite not starting a full season since he was under center for the Minnesota Vikings in 2015.

Some contractual sacrifices need to be made somewhere, which might end up with Carolina picking up the tab – or at least some of it – where the quarterback is concerned. However, teams know full-well that Bridgewater is not part of the Panthers’ plans moving forward and might decide to wait it out rather than give up some draft capital to bring him on board.

This would be the worst-case scenario for the Panthers, who’d be taking a major financial hit if they eventually released Bridgewater. According to Over the Cap, releasing the player before June 1 comes with a $20 million dead-cap figure, which is reduced to $15 million after this date.

Not exactly chump change by any stretch of the imagination, especially in the current climate with teams working with a reduced salary-cap thanks to COVID-19 revenue losses.

It wouldn’t take long for Bridgewater to be snapped up on the free-agent market in this eventuality. Teams are always looking for a steady backup option that can step in and perform at a moment’s notice, something the Pro Bowler proved he is more than capable of with the New Orleans Saints in 2019.

Realistically speaking, the Panthers would probably take any draft pick to send Bridgewater on his way at this stage. He was a costly gamble that didn’t pay off, although not having adequate pass protection or Christian McCaffrey for most of the campaign didn’t help his cause.

Most NFL teams aren’t stupid. So even if they’ve identified Bridgewater as someone who can help them, playing the waiting game is a realistic proposition and one that would do some harm to the Panthers financially and in their pursuit of getting something back in return.