The New York Jets went all-in on quarterbacks this offseason, and rumors indicate that one of them may already be on the trade block.
After the team doubled down in its quest to find a franchise quarterback by signing Teddy Bridgewater and drafting Sam Darnold, a report from ESPN indicates that the Jets could unload the veteran should their new rookie be ready for the starting job. Rich Cimini reported that Bridgewater has turned in a strong showing during offseason workouts and organized team activities, showing that the effects of his nearly career-ending injury could be in the past. But if Darnold should still manage to win the starting job with a strong preseason, the Jets may look to extract what value they can from Bridgewater by trading him.
The Jets already have a steady veteran hand in Josh McCown, and took something of a flyer on Bridgewater to see if he could return to his excellent pre-injury form, so trading Bridgewater now is not seen as handcuffing Darnold’s development.
As Cimini noted, the potential Bridgewater trade would hinge on a few different factors — the top one being whether there’s a market for him at the moment.
“Right now, the answer is no, but that could change with one injury in the preseason. In 2016, the Eagles were prepared to go into the season with Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel and Wentz, but they traded Bradford to the Vikings, who needed an injury replacement for — wait for it — Bridgewater.”
Cimini noted that if Darnold lands the starting job, the Jets would be paying a total of $16 million to backup quarterbacks in Bridgewater and McCown. Of the two, Bridgewater would have the higher upside and would likely net the best return in a trade, especially with his potential to be a starting quarterback for many years to come.
There have been rumors floating around the NFL for months that the Jets may be looking to trade Teddy Bridgewater. Columnist Darryl Slater of NJ.com wrote in June that the Jets could get a modest return for Bridgewater, something like a third- or fourth-round pick, but his market would only be clear once the preseason started and some teams lose backups or starters to injury.
Report: Jets could look to trade Teddy Bridgewater should Sam Darnold win the starting QB job: https://t.co/mf4mWqTp66 pic.twitter.com/ILz4L7ynJq
— 247Sports (@247Sports) July 26, 2018
Despite the growing rumors around the NFL, the New York Jets have given no indication that they might be thinking of trading Teddy Bridgewater, and the starting quarterback spot appears to be very much up for grabs heading into the season.
