Panthers Will Look To Trade QB Teddy Bridgewater

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Panthers will look to trade QB Teddy Bridgewater now that they’ve acquired Sam Darnold from the Jets on Monday.

Two teams who could have interest in Bridgewater include the Broncos and Saints. However, it’s unlikely the Panthers would want to trade Bridgewater to a division rival, which leaves Denver as the trade destination to watch.

It’s possible that no team will be willing to take on Bridgewater’s contract at this point and will instead wait to see if the Panthers cut him.

At that point, a return to New Orleans becomes much more of a possibility.

Bridgewater, 28, is a former first-round pick of the Vikings back in 2014. He played out the final year of his four-year, $6,849,502 rookie contract after Minnesota declined to pick up his fifth-year option.

Bridgewater signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Jets that included just $500,000 guaranteed. However, the Jets later traded him to the Saints during the preseason and he returned to New Orleans in 2019 on another one-year contract. 

The Panthers signed Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million contract last March. He is set to make base salaries of $17 million and $20 million over the final two years of the deal. 

In 2020, Bridgewater appeared in 15 games for the Panthers and completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 279 yards and five touchdowns.