Panthers Give Teddy Bridgewater Permission Seek Trade; Multiple Teams Interested
April 7: Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that “multiple teams” are interested in trading for Bridgewater (video link). Those clubs are looking at Bridgewater as a top-flight backup and mentor for a younger passer already on (or soon to be on) the roster. Bridgewater, of course, will need to rework his contract to facilitate a deal, and Rapoport — who expects a trade to happen — says the 28-year-old passer could reduce his 2021 pay to a fully-guaranteed $10MM.
April 6: After trading for Sam Darnold, the Panthers have granted Teddy Bridgewater permission to talk with other teams and potentially facilitate a trade (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Panthers remain open to keeping the veteran, but they’ll allow him the chance to find a better opportunity elsewhere.
[RELATED: Panthers Trade For Jets’ Sam Darnold]
Bridgewater has two years to go on the three-year, $63MM deal he inked with Carolina just last year. The 28-year-old (29 in November) completed 69% of his passes last year with just 15 touchdown passes. The Panthers have chosen Darnold’s upside over another year with the one-time Vikings star, but he still profiles as a solid stopgap starter or a quality backup for other teams.
It would make little sense for the Panthers to keep Bridgewater — especially at his current price tag. He’s set to earn base salaries of $17MM and $20MM while Darnold is tied to the club through 2022 on his $18.9MM fifth-year option.
The Broncos are one club that could make sense for Bridgewater, especially given GM George Paton’s history with the QB. It’s also possible that the Saints could explore a reunion, adding to the Jameis Winston–Taysom Hill competition.
Panthers To Sign A.J. Bouye
The Panthers’ recent trade for quarterback Sam Darnold certainly rates as one of the biggest splashes of the offseason, and now the team has turned its attention back to the defensive side of the ball. As Joe Person of The Athletic reports (via Twitter), Carolina has agreed to terms with free agent corner A.J. Bouye. Mike Klis of 9News.com first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal (Twitter link).
The Panthers were a middle-of-the-road outfit in terms of total defense in 2020, and this offseason, new GM Scott Fitterer has brought in Haason Reddick and Morgan Fox to reinforce the pass rush and Denzel Perryman to anchor the middle of the LB corps. Fitterer also inked cornerback Rashaan Melvin to a modest one-year pact, but Bouye is a superior talent if he can himself back on track.
A former UDFA, Bouye became a strong, starting-caliber CB in Houston and parlayed that success into a five-year, $67.5MM contract with the Jaguars in March 2017. He earned his first and only Pro Bowl nod following the 2017 season, a campaign in which he teamed with Jalen Ramsey to form a fearsome cornerback tandem. He picked off six passes that year — which nearly culminated in a Super Bowl appearance — but Jacksonville slipped in the subsequent seasons and elected to trade Bouye to the Broncos last March as part of its rebuilding efforts.
He suffered a dislocated shoulder in Week 1 of the 2020 season and landed on IR, and though he ended up playing in (and starting) seven games, he was hit with a six-game PED suspension in December. He will miss the first two games of 2021 as a result of the ban, and Denver released him earlier this year.
Still, the 29-year-old (30 in August) would be a high-ceiling veteran addition to a CB group currently fronted by youngsters Donte Jackson and Troy Pride Jr. Other than the Panthers, the only team that had reportedly expressed interest in Bouye following his release was the Raiders.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/6/21
Panthers To Sign OL Martez Ivey
The Panthers made the big splash of the week by acquiring Sam Darnold from the Jets, but that isn’t the only move they’re making. Carolina is also signing offensive lineman Martez Ivey, his agents told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
No financial terms were immediately revealed, but it’s a one-year deal for Ivey. A two-time All-SEC player at Florida, Ivey signed with the Patriots as an UDFA back in 2019. He failed to crack New England’s roster, and then spent some time in the XFL in 2020. He wasn’t able to land an NFL job during the pandemic, but is now getting another shot.
The Panthers have been busy with their offensive line this offseason, already signing new projected starters Cameron Erving and Pat Elflein, franchise-tagging Taylor Moton, and re-signing John Miller. Ivey will be another dart throw for a team making low-risk signings to shore up the O-line.
Panthers May Still Draft QB
The Panthers’ quarterback depth chart is pretty loaded at the moment. But, even after trading for Sam Darnold, Panthers GM Scott Fitterer says he’s open to drafting a passer later this month. 
[RELATED: Panthers Give Bridgewater Permission Seek Trades]
“This doesn’t take out of anything in the draft,” Fitterer said (via the team website). “It doesn’t take us out of taking a quarterback, it doesn’t take us out of taking any position. What we wanted to do going into this draft, through free agency, through this trade with Sam, was to just get rid of all the needs we have. We wanted to get to a place where the roster was in a good spot, and we could take the best available player at number eight. We could always move up, and we could always move back, but this puts us in a position to make the right football decision for this team moving forward.”
Now the backup, Teddy Bridgewater has two years to go on his three-year, $63MM deal. The Panthers have given him the green light to facilitate a trade, so it seems unlikely that he’ll be staying put. Meanwhile, Fitterer has also exercised Darnold’s pricey fifth-year option, tying him to the club through 2022.
Even if the Panthers opt for a QB, they’re unlikely to do it with the No. 8 overall pick. Instead, they’re expected to target a cornerback or an offensive lineman.
Fallout From Sam Darnold Trade: Panthers, Jets, Rhule, Draft, Bridgewater
Although the Panthers and Jets had discussed a Sam Darnold trade for a bit, the talks centering around a trade that became official Monday heated up last week. Joe Douglas and Scott Fitterer discussed Darnold at Ohio State’s pro day on March 30, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Other teams contacted the Jets on Darnold ahead of free agency, but during the time Douglas and Co. methodically evaluating this year’s draft-eligible quarterbacks, some would-be suitors moved on. By late last week, the Panthers were the last team left standing that would trade for Darnold, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). The Jets sought a package similar to the one the Cardinals received for fellow 2018 top-10 QB Josh Rosen, wanting a second-round pick and another mid-round pick or a player, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. (The Dolphins sent the 2019 No. 62 overall pick to the Cardinals for Rosen.) The Jets also proposed a pick-swap trade that would have sent Darnold and No. 23 to Carolina for No. 8, per Breer. The Panthers shut off that path but agreed to send a 2021 sixth, a 2022 second and a 2022 fourth for the former No. 3 overall pick. The Jets now have nine picks in Rounds 1 and 2 between this draft and next.
Here is more from the latest 2021 QB domino falling Monday:
- Douglas pulled the trigger on a trade more than three weeks away from the draft and did so because Jets brass saw considerable downside in waiting for a better offer. The Jets did not want to lose out on the Panthers’ three-pick proposal, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes (Twitter links).
- Perhaps paying customary lip service, Fitterer said (per Person, on Twitter) Monday the Darnold acquisition will not take the Panthers out of the quarterback mix at No. 8 overall. That pick, however, can now be used to help Darnold and accelerate the team’s rebuild. It could also be used as a trade chip. The quarterback-seeking Broncos hold pick No. 9, and at least one of the top five quarterbacks figures to remain on the board by then. A team keen on grabbing one of these QB prospects would seemingly be interested in jumping in front of Denver, should the Broncos stay at No. 9.
- Teddy Bridgewater looks likely to be a one-and-done as a Panther. As a starter, anyway. He could be off to team No. 5 soon. The Panthers will try to collect a mid-round pick for their 2020 starter, Person notes (subscription required). But they have been trying to unload Bridgewater for weeks, Breer adds. Bridgewater is set to carry a $17MM cap number in 2021, and unless a Case Keenum– or Nick Foles-type situation emerges in which Bridgewater agrees to redo his deal to facilitate a trade, the Panthers will have a difficult time unloading that contract.
- A virtual Darnold-Matt Rhule conversation played a role in Monday’s trade. When the Jets interviewed Rhule for their HC job in 2019, he spoke with Darnold. Rhule came away impressed with the quarterback, and Rapoport notes that meeting came into play when Rhule approved this trade (video link).
Panthers Expected To Trade Teddy Bridgewater
Teddy Bridgewater‘s time in Carolina may well limited to one season. The Panthers are expected to look to trade their 2020 starter, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
While Bridgewater’s departure would understandably be expected after the Panthers’ Sam Darnold acquisition, Rapoport adds the team may look to rework the veteran incumbent’s contract. A trade, however, should be regarded as option 1 here. The Panthers gave Bridgewater a three-year, $63MM deal in 2020, bringing in the former Vikings starter to replace Cam Newton. But they made no secret of their desire to upgrade from Bridgewater this offseason.
New Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said the Darnold trade does not preclude the team from keeping Bridgewater, via David Newton of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 49ers are using this stance with Jimmy Garoppolo, though San Francisco could conceivably keep both due to their next quarterback set to be a rookie. A Bridgewater-Darnold QB room sounds less feasible.
It will be interesting to see if the Panthers find a taker. Bridgewater is due base salaries of $17MM and $20MM over the next two seasons, respectively, and a few teams that entered the offseason with clear quarterback needs have moved in other directions. Bridgewater would make sense as a bridge starter (pun unintended) or a high-end backup.
The Broncos are, however, a team that has not addressed its QB situation. And their new GM both indicated the team would add to its Drew Lock-topped depth chart and has a history with Bridgewater. George Paton was in Minnesota’s front office when the team drafted Bridgewater in the 2014 first round. Bridgewater served as the Vikings’ starter from 2014-15 and was on course for a big extension before a severe knee injury sidetracked his career.
Bridgewater, 28, has settled into a role as a safe passer with a low ceiling. He completed 69% of his passes as a Panther last year, when he ranked 17th in QBR in his first season as a full-time starter since 2015, but threw just 15 touchdown passes. In his 2019 starts for the Saints, Bridgewater ranked last in Next Gen Stats’ average intended air yards metric. That said, the Louisville alum has started 49 games and would certainly help a team in need of a stopgap starter or a quality backup.
Jets Trade Sam Darnold To Panthers
3:26pm: Carolina will exercise Darnold’s fifth-year option, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets. This will tie Darnold to the Panthers through 2022 and fully guarantee Darnold $18.9MM next year.
3:03pm: The Jets are trading Sam Darnold to the Panthers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Carolina will send back a sixth-round pick in 2021, as well as second- and fourth-round picks in 2022.
The Panthers had made no secret of their desire to upgrade at quarterback, and while Darnold is not coming off a particularly impressive season, he is a former top-three pick on a rookie contract. Although a previous report suggested the Panthers were not particularly high on Darnold, they had discussed him for weeks with the Jets, Schefter adds (via Twitter).
This trade also essentially confirms Jets GM Joe Douglas made his quarterback decision. The Jets have been linked to BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with their No. 2 overall pick. While some late rumblings suggested Darnold had support in the building for a fourth season, to either compete with Wilson or induce a trade-down maneuver, the Jets have been expected to draft Wilson and start over for a bit now. Douglas has now traded predecessor Mike Maccagnan‘s final two first-round picks — Darnold and Jamal Adams — over the past two years.
“He is a tough-minded, talented football player whose NFL story has not been written yet,” Douglas said of Darnold. “While all these things are true, this move is in the short- and long-term best interests for both this team and him.”
Carolina had been the team most closely linked to Deshaun Watson this offseason. Owner David Tepper‘s desire to acquire the superstar Texans quarterback became known several weeks ago. Darnold is obviously well off the Watson tier, but the latter’s sudden off-field issues have quieted his trade market. The Jets were also linked to a potential Watson push. Both teams moving on signals the Pro Bowl quarterback may well be in Houston next season.
Darnold is still just 23 but has yet to deliver on the hype he carried in 2018. The Browns were connected to the USC prospect three years ago, but they opted for Baker Mayfield at No. 1 instead. Fixated on Saquon Barkley, the Giants refused to entertain trade offers that could have sent Darnold elsewhere. His New York stay produced occasional flashes, but the situation bottomed out in 2020. Darnold ranked last in QBR, among qualified passers, during his second season with Adam Gase. Darnold has yet to eclipse 20 touchdown passes in a season and has also missed at least three games in each of his three seasons.
The once-coveted prospect will be tabbed to replace Teddy Bridgewater, whose QBR figure ranked 17th last season. But Bridgewater has established a fairly low ceiling. Illustrated by this trade package, Darnold’s still remains relatively uncertain. Darnold will reunite with Robby Anderson in Charlotte, with Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore further illustrating the skill-position upgrade the maligned quarterback will receive. Darnold going from Gase to fast-rising OC Joe Brady represents intrigue as well.
The three-year veteran is due to count $9.7MM against the Panthers’ cap in 2021, but should Carolina pick up Darnold’s fifth-year option, his 2022 price would jump to $18.9MM. The Panthers will be forced to eat a chunk of dead money if they trade or release Bridgewater, who is attached to a three-year, $63MM contract. But Tepper authorized a long-term rebuild, giving Matt Rhule a seven-year contract. It would not surprise if the team picked up Darnold’s option for evaluation purposes. Considering Carolina’s interest in Watson, it would also not surprise if the Panthers made this move as a stopgap measure while Watson’s legal situation unfolds.
Holding the No. 8 overall pick, the Panthers can now focus on helping their Darnold-centered roster. This draft will almost certainly begin with three quarterback picks for just the third time ever. The Jaguars, Jets and 49ers’ choices will leave the rest of the QB-seeking crowd with just two of the much-hyped top five quarterback prospects for whom to vie.
Latest On Sam Darnold
Things have been trending toward the Jets taking BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second overall for a while now, and if that happens it’s been widely assumed Sam Darnold would be traded somewhere. But is it possible the Jets could draft Wilson and keep Darnold around as well? Maybe so.
“Can it be done? Absolutely,” Darnold’s former teammate and mentor Josh McCown, who has stayed close with the USC product, told Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “In my mind, if you can’t get the value now for him, that’s absolutely how you go about it. I wouldn’t even call it a competition. I would just say, ‘We’re going to go with Sam as the guy and bring Zach along.’ If Sam knocks it out of the park, we’ll re-evaluate where we are a year from now.”
McCown doesn’t think Darnold would shy away from the drama. “Sam would embrace it and be helpful, but he’d also go out and work hard and try to make the most of the opportunity to play this year — and put it back on them and make them have to make a tough decision at the end of the year. I think, if that happens, really and truly, everybody wins.”
While that’s fun to think about, it might be wishful thinking on McCown’s part. McCown’s scenario isn’t “crazy,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network says (Twitter video link), but most people he’s spoken to still believe Darnold will be traded.
That being said, Rapoport does believe it’s realistic the Jets could keep Darnold to try to get a better draft pick for him later, rather than settle for something now when his value isn’t at its highest. Rapoport doubts New York could get a first-rounder for him, which isn’t surprising considering there was a report earlier that suggested they might not even be able to get a second-rounder for him. We already know the Broncos don’t view him as worth a second-rounder.
We had heard back in February that the Panthers weren’t overly interested in Darnold, but after striking out on other options Rapsheet interestingly highlights them as a team to watch here. With the draft rapidly approaching, we should know a lot more soon so stay tuned.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/30/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Micah Simon
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: DL Tyler Lancaster
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Ryan Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/retired list: TE Hale Hentges
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Cole Hikutini, DB Joshua Kalu, DB Christopher Milton
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Matthias Farley