In order to facilitate his trade to the Broncos, Teddy Bridgewater agreed to restructure his contract (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News). Now, Bridgewater has just one year remaining on his deal, rather than two.
By truncating the three-year, $63M deal he signed last year, Bridgewater has given the Broncos extra flexibility beyond 2021. Meanwhile, the Broncos also got the Panthers to pick up $7M of his $10M guarantee. Between the remaining $3M and Bridgewater’s forthcoming $1.5M salary, they’ll be paying him just $4.5M — a reasonable price for a backup quarterback who may wind up supplanting Drew Lock as the starter. As Klis notes, it’s a fraction of what Andy Dalton got ($10.5M) from the Bears earlier this year.
Bridgewater struggled in his first year with the Panthers, but he was one of the league’s hottest free agents just ~14 months ago. In 2019, Bridgewater went 5-0 as the Saints’ starter, filling in for Brees while he was sidelined. And, of course, he was one of the NFL’s brightest young stars before his devastating injury in Minnesota.
The Louisville alum started 28 games for the Vikings from 2014-15, averaging 3,075 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions per season. Among the 30 QBs who attempted at least 500 passes in those two seasons, Bridgewater ranked 22nd in passer rating, 25th in adjusted net yards per attempt, and 29th in touchdown percentage.
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