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There goes another 2021 draft domino. NFL Network reported Wednesday that the Denver Broncos pulled off a trade with the Carolina Panthers to acquire Teddy Bridgewater, putting the one-time New Orleans Saints quarterback on the move yet again. Bridgewater was traded once before, moving to the Saints from the New York Jets — to make room for Sam Darnold, who is replacing him in Carolina, ironically.
Initially picked in the first round of the 2014 draft by the Minnesota Vikings, a catastrophic knee injury imperiled Bridgewater’s NFL future until a strong preseason with the Jets led to him being traded to New Orleans. And when Drew Brees was sidelined for a month of the 2019 season with an injured throwing hand, Bridgewater filled in admirably, winning all five of his starts.
That earned him a three-year contract with the Panthers (and returned a compensatory draft pick to the Saints) in 2020, but his lackluster performance on one of the league’s worst rosters led to Carolina trading for Darnold, and then Bridgewater himself being traded again.
He’s renegotiated his contract to help facilitate the trade, so he figures to have a good shot at continuing to lead a team. Now he’ll be expecting to compete with Drew Lock to start in Denver, unless the Broncos are able to land a top quarterback prospect on Thursday night.
As for the Saints: they’re headed into the draft with Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston going head-to-head to decide who takes over for Drew Brees, while Trevor Siemian watches from a distance. They’ve done their homework on the rookie crop and could very well add a new face to push Siemian for that third spot on the depth chart.
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