The Carolina Panthers signed Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million deal last offseason. The length and size of the deal were both somewhat odd given Bridgewater’s history. While he had an impressive 5-0 run as the New Orleans Saints’ starter the previous season while Drew Brees was injured, Bridgewater also had a gruesome knee injury in his past and had never thrown more than 14 touchdown passes in a season.
The contract fell somewhere between what you’d expect for a bridge QB and a long-term starter. It would have made more sense to give him a one-year deal given his track record, but it’s too late now. To their credit, the Panthers have admitted their mistake. Near the tail-end of a disappointing season, they fired general manager Marty Hurney and now it’s clear they’re looking for an upgrade at QB.
Carolina almost pulled off a trade for veteran Matt Stafford over the weekend. In fact, the Panthers were so close they reportedly were getting medical info from the Detroit Lions.
Another wrinkle in the Matthew Stafford trade: At one point on Saturday, the #Lions and #Panthers were so close that Carolina was in the process of obtaining Stafford’s medicals from Detroit, per @AlbertBreer. The #Rams came in with a more aggressive offer, and that got it done.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) February 2, 2021
Stafford was eventually dealt to the Los Angeles Rams, who offered a far more attractive package, even if it included Jared Goff and his hilariously burdensome contract.
Carolina is also interested in Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson and they are expected to be aggressive pursuing him.
Whether it’s Watson or a free agent or a draft pick, it’s clear the Panthers intend to bring in another quarterback this offseason. That means they have to figure out what to do with Bridgewater going forward.
Problem is, thanks to the structure of his contract it’s tough to move him this year. Bridgewater’s cap hit for 2021 is $23 million. Cutting him before June 1 is out of the question, as that would incur a $20 million dead money penalty. Waiting until after June 1 only cuts that number down to $15 million and would only save around $8 million in salary cap room.
In an ideal world, they’d find a trade partner willing to take a chance on Teddy. Even that would cost them $10 million in sunk costs before June.
While he had some sharp games, given the way Bridgewater struggled down the stretch it’s difficult to imagine any team being willing to take on his contract. That makes packaging him in any trade difficult.
The Panthers may have no choice but to keep Bridgewater around for another year. Releasing him becomes much more reasonable in 2022. If nothing else, they will have an excellent backup QB for whoever winds up as their starter – if the most expensive one in league history.
[lawrence-related id=632588]
[vertical-gallery id=633124]