New York Jets Want to Trade Teddy Bridgewater

by DS Williamson

During the off-season, the New York Jets made three brilliant moves to shore up the quarterback position. They resigned Josh McCown, traded up to select USC quarterback Sam Darnold third in the 2018 NFL Draft, and finally they signed then Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The Jets went from hoping Christian Hackenburg develops into a starter, to signing two quarterbacks with starting experience and drafting a talented college football quarterback.

The smartest move could be signing Bridgewater, and he could pay off dividends in an intriguing way. McCown has coveted, veteran experience but Darnold is the future. Everyone knows that. So a trade has been rumored for Bridgewater, a quarterback who was once heralded as the "next big thing" not too long ago.

Three Teams Already Interested in Trading for Teddy Bridgewater New York Daily News reporter Manish Mehta wrote that two teams have contacted the Jets about trading for Bridgewater: the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. Mehta points to a third team having some interest, the Denver Broncos.

MIAMI DOLPHINS So far, starter Ryan Tannehill has had no trouble with his surgically repaired knee. Miami knows that Tannehill can’t suffer another devastating injury, though. Also, Bridgewater could be more capable of running Adam Gase’s schemes on offense. Bridgewater could be a great back-up while Miami figures out if Tannehill is the answer long-term.

Will the trade happen? Miami might want Teddy Bridgewater, but the Dolphins play the Jets in the AFC East Division. The Jets assuredly don’t want to help the Dolphins solve their quarterback problems. A package would have to be heavy handed to convince a division rival to send them a potential franchise savior.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Late last season, New England traded Tom Brady’s heir apparent, Jimmy Garoppolo, to the San Francisco 49ers. Tom Brady won’t play forever, but New England didn’t trade up to draft Brady’s replacement. The other two quarterbacks on the roster are Brian Hoyer, a career backup, and rookie Danny Etling. Etling should end up on the practice squad, meaning he won’t be ready any time soon to take Brady’s place.

Will the trade happen? If Mehta is right and the Patriots reached out to the Jets about Bridgewater, that’s laughable. The Jets and Patriots hate each other. If the shoe were on the other foot, New England would demand two first round picks, Jets’ strong safety Jamal Adams, and the right to play 12 players on defense when they face each other. So, no, this isn’t happening.

DENVER BRONCOS Don’t blame John Elway if he wants to upgrade the quarterback position. Case Keenum hasn’t turned the ball over in two NFL Preseason games, but he’s gone 9 of 17 with zero TD passes.

Will the trade happen? Bridgewater sure would look snazzy in Denver orange. Elway’s not afraid to pull the trigger. He’s a shrewd negotiator, though. If he doesn’t believe Bridgewater does much better than Keenum, he’ll sit on his hands. Also, the Jets might ask too much from Elway, killing any deal.

If Teddy Bridgewater continues to play well, other teams could call the Jets about a trade:

New Orleans Saints – Brees is as old as Brady. Sean Payton loves backup Taysom Hill but the former BYU prodigy threw 2 interceptions versus the Arizona Cardinals in the Saints second preseason game.

New York Giants – If Eli Manning gets hurt, put a fork in the Giants. Eli’s backups are Davis Webb and Kyle Lauletta. Lauletta might be the answer long term. Long term means 3 to 5 years from now.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Every day, quarterback Jameis Winston looks increasingly like a first pick bust. If Dirk Koetter wants to save his job, he had better talk the Bucs into trading for Bridgewater.

Los Angeles Chargers – The Chargers’ window to win a Super Bowl with Philip Rivers as their quarterbacks is closing quickly. Los Angeles has a young running back in Melvin Gordon. They’ve got a young wide receiver in Keenan Allen. The defense is young. Why not add a young quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater?