Most Likely Teddy Bridgewater Trade Destinations

When the Carolina Panthers acquired Sam Darnold from the New York Jets earlier this month, it was pretty clear that Teddy Bridgewater's time as the team's quarterback was coming to an end.

Bridgewater spent a single season with the Panthers, throwing 3,733 passing yards for 15 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Those aren't the worst stats, but teams need better production from the quarterback position if they want to win meaningful games.

Bridgewater has a $22 million cap hit this season, but any team can get out of his contract in 2022 in exchange for a $5 million dead cap hit.

Keeping that in mind, here are three of the most likely trade destinations Bridgewater as we approach the 2021 NFL Draft.

Teddy Bridgewater Trade Rumors

3. Denver Broncos

It's no secret that the Denver Broncos could use a new quarterback, either through the draft or via trade. Drew Lock just isn't cutting it as the No. 1 guy. If the organization wants to keep with their young core, they need someone better. The Broncos have nine picks in the draft, so they could afford to send some to the Panthers. They also have over $28 million in cap space, so they could easily fit Bridgewater and choose to use the No. 9 pick to address a different need, especially if the top-five passers are off the board by then.

2. New Orleans Saints

Even though the New Orleans Saints already have Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill as their signal-callers, neither man is guaranteed to be a suitable successor to Drew Brees. Hill's only showcased what he can do over a small sample size and Winston has been inconsistent in the past. Meanwhile, Bridgewater has experience playing with the Saints. In five games with the organization in 2019, he threw for 1,384 passing yards and 9 touchdowns to 2 interceptions. He also led the team to a 5-0 record in his five starts in New Orleans. Financially it's tough to see this happening this season, but it's something the Saints could explore if the Winston-Hill experiment doesn't work out.

1. New England Patriots

Like the Broncos, there have been a plenty of rumors suggesting that the New England Patriots could be eyeing a quarterback in the draft. They have the No. 15 selection and could trade up, but that isn't a guarantee. If the Patriots can't make the move, they could target Bridgewater through a trade. Yes, they already have Cam Newton, but if he plays as he did last year, the Patriots won't make it far this season. Plus, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported in March 2020 that New England had interested in Bridgewater before going with Newton, so maybe things will come full circle.

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