Before the start of the preseason, the Jets made it clear that they'd be open to trading away Teddy Bridgewater for the right price and it appears that they've found a team willing to pay that price.
The Jets have made a deal with the Saints that will send Bridgewater to New Orleans, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora has confirmed. According to ESPN.com, the Saints will be sending a 2018 third-round pick to New York in exchange for the quarterback. The Jets will also be including a sixth-round pick in the package being sent to New Orleans.
Bridgewater was actually on the team bus headed for the Jets final preseason game in Philadelphia when he found out about the trade. According to NFL.com, the bus, which was about to leave the team facility, let Bridgewater off after the trade went down.
Crazy scene: #Jets players were on the bus when they stopped, told Teddy Bridgewater he’d been traded, he waved goodbye, then they drove off, source said. Bridgewater headed to the #Saints. Wild.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 29, 2018
This is a big trade for both teams and that's because it clarifies the quarterback situation in both cities. For the Jets, there's no longer a mystery about where Bridgewater is going to fit in. With Teddy now in New Orleans, that means New York will head into the regular season with a depth chart the includes Sam Darnold as the starter and Josh McCown as the backup.
In New Orleans, Bridgewater will almost certainly become the backup behind Drew Brees, taking the spot of Tom Savage, who was signed in March.
For Bridgewater, it's been a wild five months. The former Vikings quarterback was one of the biggest gambles of free agency and that's because he had only played a total of nine snaps over the past two seasons (2016-17) due to the horrific knee injury he suffered in August 2016. The Jets eventually took a chance on Bridgewater and signed him to a one-year deal in mid-March.
For the Jets, the risk paid off almost immediately and that's because Bridgewater's stock seemed to shoot up every time he stepped foot on the field during the preseason. In his first action back back on Aug. 10, Bridgewater finished 7 of 8 for 85 yards and a touchdown during a 17-0 win over the Falcons. The quarterback followed that up with two solid games against the Redskins (10 of 15, 127 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) and Giants (11 of 15, 104 yards).
The trade means that the Jets basically paid $1 million for an extra third-round pick. When the team signed Bridgewater back in March, they only had to pay out his signing bonus ($500,000) and his workout bonus ($500,000). The Saints will be responsible for the rest of the contract.
Speaking of the Saints, if coach Sean Payton is hoping that Bridgewater is going to be the quarterback of the future in New Orleans, then the team is going to have to sign him to a long-term contract, As things stand, Bridgewater is signed only through the 2018 season and is scheduled to be a free agent in March. If the Saints didn't rework Bridgewater's deal before the trade went down, then the quarterback will make a $5 million base salary in New Orleans this season.
