Why the Vikings won’t be trading for Teddy Bridgewater
By Adam Patrick
Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been reportedly allowed to seek a trade by the Carolina Panthers.
Last season, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was given a great opportunity to be the starting signal-caller for the Carolina Panthers.
Before the 2020 campaign, the last time Bridgewater opened a season as a starting quarterback was back in 2015 when he was with the Vikings. Despite this, the Panthers still expressed a bunch of confidence in the former Minnesota passer, and they felt he could help their team succeed.
Unfortunately, Bridgewater struggled to help turn Carolina into a contender in 2020, and the former Vikings quarterback ended up finishing the season with a 4-11 record when starting under center.
Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater nearing a departure with the Carolina Panthers
On Monday, the Panthers made a big-time move when they acquired quarterback Sam Darnold in a trade with the New York Jets. Carolina gave up a bunch of assets to land Darnold, so the assumption is that he will be their starting signal-caller next season.
Following the addition of their new passer, Bridgewater’s tenure with the Panthers appears to be nearing the end.
Trading the former Minnesota quarterback this year would free up more cap space for Carolina than cutting him would, so it’s not much of a surprise that they have reportedly allowed him to seek a trade according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Tuesday.
It’s hard to imagine a team giving up a lot to acquire Bridgewater, especially after the struggles he experienced last season. Most organizations likely view him as more of a backup than a starter at this point in his career and his current contract is a little too lucrative for a team to bring him in as a No. 2 guy.
If acquired in a trade this year, Bridgewater would account for more than $15 million of his new team’s salary cap. It’s just not a financially smart decision to trade for him unless the plan is to make him the starter.
This is the main reason why we shouldn’t expect the Vikings to make any sort of attempt to trade for their former first-round pick. Minnesota, one, doesn’t have the money to afford Bridgewater’s current contract, and two, they’re not looking to create any sort of controversy in the quarterback room.
Even if the Panthers can’t find a trade partner and they end up just releasing Bridgewater, it’s still hard to imagine the Vikings having any interest in a reunion with their old quarterback based on the decisions they’ve already made this offseason.