From Queen City to Mile High, Teddy Bridgewater is on the move again.
After the veteran quarterback gets permission to seek a deal, he goes to the Broncos for a pick for the sixth round in 2021, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The selection is the 191st overall selection in this year’s draft.
Pelissero reports that the deal had been in the works for weeks, with finances being the only thing separating the two sides. The money appears to have run out: The Broncos are paying just $ 3 million from Bridgewater’s salary for the next season, while the Panthers are keeping $ 7 million from veteran QB’s salary.
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The Broncos are now rusting Bridgewater and reigning quarterback Drew Lock, which means the QB room is a bit crowded. This could mean that John Elway, George Paton and the Denver Front Office are happy with the current options at QB for the 2021 season.
But not so fast: Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the move will not immediately take the Broncos out of the quarterback market for the NFL draft on Thursday night. The Bridgewater deal only provides Denver insurance in case one of the top passers-by of the draft at selection # 9 doesn’t fall on them.
Panthers are trading with QB Teddy Bridgewater to the Broncos for a sixth round selection, @TomPelissero reported.
Panthers pay Bridgewater $ 7 million, Broncos pay him $ 3 million per source.
Trading doesn’t bring Denver out of the QB market on Thursday night, per source.
– Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter), April 28, 2021
Trading puts the Broncos in a pretty enviable position: if they trust either Bridgewater or Lock for the 2021 season, they may not feel compelled to trade to secure a passerby. Should a passer-by fall in 9th place instead, they could choose to take them or swap them off the spot, with multiple teams keen to swap into the top 10.
On the other hand, this is a smokescreen season with Lock and Bridgewater both on the roster. The team seems confident that one or both of the options will be available in 2021. Recent rumors suggest the Broncos might still have a quarterback for the 2021 NFL draft, and several draft pundits are expecting Ohio-based Justin Fields to drop to number 9.
After brief stints with the Jets and Saints, Bridgewater landed with the Panthers on a big money deal last off-season, throwing 15 touchdowns on 11 interceptions for Carolina. He was on a three-year $ 63 million contract for a year with a $ 33 million guarantee.
The question of whether Bridgewater is another hurdle for Denver to add a passerby at this point will be answered in just over 24 hours.
