The offseason quarterback carousel continues. Teddy Bridgewater is now a Bronco, and nothing has changed for either team. Bridgewater was traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick, and his contract was immediately restructured to make him a free agent following the 2021 season.
For the Panthers, who acquired Sam Darnold from the New York Jets for a 2021 6th, 2022 2nd and 2022 4th just three weeks ago, they replaced that 6th with the Broncos’ while unloading a little bit of cap space… albeit only $3 million. So, now they have the former-top prospect that the Jets did their best to ruin, while also owning the No. 8 overall pick tomorrow night. Darnold is hardly costing them anything this year, with no long-term commitment. The Panthers should 100 percent be in the market tomorrow night to look for a quarterback of the future.
Same thing goes for Denver. They have the disgustingly underwhelming Drew Lock currently under center. Yes, they brought in Teddy Bridgewater, who I do believe is an upgrade over Lock, but picking right behind Carolina at No. 9 overall while restructuring Bridgewater’s contract to make him a free agent after 2021 signals that they, too, are still looking for their quarterback. Hopefully.
It’s hard not to root for Teddy Two Gloves, though. Whether he’s a starting quarterback or not, Bridgewater is beloved around the league.. He continuously does good in any community that he’s a part of, and brings a veteran presence to the Denver locker room.
Peyton Manning has left an undeniable hole in the Broncos since he retired that they simply have not been able to fill. Teddy Bridgewater is not that answer, and they should be making a lot of phone calls to try and secure one of the top quarterbacks in this class. Maybe to like, I don’t know, the Falcons at No. 4, who I just wrote yesterday are handcuffed to Matt Ryan and his bloated contract for at least two more years. If they choose to roll with Bridgewater instead of having a chance at Justin Fields, they will be sorely disappointed.
So no, I don’t believe either team drastically changed their plans tomorrow night with this move. Both teams could — and should — be looking for an upgrade in this group of impressing prospects.