49ers rumors: 3 reasons why Teddy Bridgewater is on team’s radar
By Peter Panacy
Reports linking the 49ers to Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater don’t make much sense unless you consider these three specific reasons.
There has been zero shortage of speculation surrounding what the San Francisco 49ers will do with their quarterback situation heading into 2021, namely focusing on both the imminent and long-term future for their starter, Jimmy Garoppolo.
It almost seems as if every “available” quarterback on the open market this offseason has somehow been linked to the Niners in one way or another. Whether it’s someone like the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson, soon-to-be former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, the New York Jets’ Sam Darnold and even disgruntled Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
And now, according to the latest rumor mill, San Francisco is linked to Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
In a report from The Athletic’s Joe Person, the 49ers reached out to Carolina about a potential trade for the 28-year-old Bridgewater (h/t 49ers Webzone):
"San Francisco is among the teams that have called Carolina to gauge the Panthers’ interest in potentially trading Bridgewater, according to league sources. San Francisco general manager John Lynch indicated last week the 49ers would like to find a solid backup as insurance for oft-injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo."
On the surface, there are a lot of reasons why this wouldn’t make sense. Garoppolo is already set to cost the Niners $26.4 million this season, while Bridgewater’s post-trade cap hit of nearly $13 million on a deal made even after June 1, according to Over the Cap, is simply too much for San Francisco to afford given its own limited amount of cap space.
But one has to look at the hidden reasons why the 49ers would be flirting with Bridgewater and the Panthers, and here are three possibilities behind the rumor.