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Just how much is New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater going to reel in during free agency? ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler fired up that conversation on Monday during an appearance on NFL Live, making the popular observation that Bridgewater expects to enjoy a busy free agent market and consider offers from multiple teams, both as a starter and potential bridge until a rookie is ready to take the reins. None of that is really surprising.
However, Fowler raised eyebrows by suggesting Bridgewater might draw as much as $30 million per year on his next contract. And that seems more than a little outlandish. While it’s true that quarterback salaries are on the rise, the only passers bringing in $30 million or more annually are established, veteran quarterbacks tied closely to an entrenched coaching regime. Here are the players at the top of the list:
- Russell Wilson ($35 million)
- Ben Roethlisberger ($34 million)
- Jared Goff and Aaron Rodgers ($33.5 million each)
- Carson Wentz ($32 million)
- Matt Ryan ($30 million)
Nobody with Bridgewater’s credentials as a backup getting promoted to the top spot comes close, though Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo each earned more than $27 million last season. And there surely aren’t many teams eager to pay up $30 million for a bridge quarterback they plan to discard in a year or two. Designed obsolescence isn’t really the NFL’s forte.
So we’ll write this off as idle offseason chatter, the sort of talk that’s informed by agents trying to pressure suitors into paying up highly for their clients through the media. We wrote about the similarities between Bridgewater, Brissett, Garoppolo, and Nick Foles back in October 2019, suggesting an upgraded salary in the range of $22 to $27 million for the Saints backup once he gets a starting nod. That feels much more realistic, especially considering that Drew Brees played on a $25 million salary last year. If he won’t be getting better than that, it’s difficult to buy into the idea that Bridgewater will.
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