As it became likelier and likelier that the Jets are turning to Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback this season, speculation grew that the team would look to trade Teddy Bridgewater.
General Manager Mike Maccagnan did nothing to quell that speculation earlier this month and now Maccagnan has made a deal involving Bridgewater. According to multiple reports, the Jets are trading Bridgewater to the Saints. There’s no word on the compensation coming back to the Jets at this point.
Bridgewater won’t be starting in New Orleans as long as Drew Brees is healthy, but it seems the Saints see him as a step up on current backups Tom Savage, Taysom Hill and J.T. Barrett in the event that Brees does need time off at any point this season.
Depending on how the team views Bridgewater, they could also see him as a potential successor to Brees. Brees is currently signed through 2019 while Bridgewater is set for free agency after signing a one-year deal this offseason.
As for the Jets, it now seems like head coach Todd Bowles’ conversation with assistants about the starting quarterback job will be unnecessary. Darnold has looked the part in the preseason and it is likely just a matter of time before the team officially installs their first-round pick as their quarterback of the present.