NFL Rumors: What’s Next For Teddy Bridgewater After Sam Darnold Trade

It’s looking like the Teddy Bridgewater experience in Carolina will be a one-year experiment.

The Panthers signed Bridgewater to a three-year deal last offseason, but after his pedestrian first season in Carolina, the Panthers elected to trade for Sam Darnold on Monday.

Carolina sent three draft picks to the Jets for Darnold, who at one point was expected to be New York’s signal-caller of the future. When the deal went down, it was clear the Panthers did it with the intent of making Darnold their starter.

So, it should come as little surprise that Bridgewater now is being given the opportunity to seek a trade, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

“Following the trade for Sam Darnold, the #Panthers spoke with QB Teddy Bridgewater and allowed him the opportunity to talk with teams to potentially facilitate a trade, sources say,” Rapoport tweeted Tuesday morning. “Carolina is open to Bridgewater returning, but will give him a chance to have a say in his future.”

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of market develops for Bridgewater if he does elect to seek a trade.

For one, it’s a pretty robust quarterback market already, with more supply than demand. Bridgewater currently is being paid like a mid- to low-tier starter, so it seems unlikely that a team would trade for him to be their backup.

If the Panthers do have to hold onto Bridgewater, it might not be the worst thing. He would be one of the better backups in the NFL, which is not a bad insurance policy to have given how Darnold has played thus far in his career.

Bridgewater played in 15 games for the Panther last season. The 28-year-old went 4-11, posting a completion percentage of 69.1 percent with 11 interceptions, 15 passing touchdowns and five scores on the ground.

Darnold was 2-10 in his 12 starts last season, completing 59.6 percent of his passes with nine passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions and two rushing touchdowns.