After the Panthers acquired quarterback Sam Darnold, they gave Teddy Bridgewater permission to seek a trade. Multiple teams are interested.
Bridgewater has already found multiple teams interested in trading for him, Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Network.
But no one is going to trade for him on his current contract, which pays him a $17 million base salary for 2021, of which $10 million is guaranteed. He’ll need to take a pay cut to get the deal done.
As we’ve previously noted, Bridgewater may be willing to take a pay cut because helping to facilitate a trade now gives him some control over his destination for the 2021 season. If Bridgewater doesn’t agree to a pay cut to move a trade along, the Panthers could keep him into training camp and cut him just before the start of the season, at which point he might not find a team where he’d be able to contribute this season.
Realistically, it’s unlikely that Bridgewater will be a starter this season, but he could be a valuable veteran backup for a team with a young starter.