The 49ers analyze the availability of Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, according to a report published in Athletic. Given what we know about the San Francisco quarterback situation, a change involving the Carolina quarterback doesn’t make much sense.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said before the end of last season that he wanted Jimmy Garoppolo to be part of the core of the 49ers to move forward and that separating from Garoppolo would require a significant upgrade.
Bridgewater does not check this box.
Last season, in 15 starts, he threw 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a completion percentage of 69.1%. Their 7.6 yards per try were not remarkable, although they set a maximum run for the Vikings ’first round. On the other hand, the previous year with the Saints he threw nine touchdowns and only two interceptions with a score of 99.1 best player in five outings: all wins.
All signs indicate that it was a Garoppolo side move in an optimal scenario. Bridgewater would cost about $ 12 million cheaper this season (assuming it happened before June 1), but it would also have cost San Francisco a draft pick.
Its limit of about $ 13 million would also deter 49ers from doing the trade to take it as a backup. They don’t have the space limit to shell out more than $ 35 million for two road center quarterbacks.
One way that might make sense, purely hypothetically, is for the 49ers to be offered a selection of the first round of a team by Garoppolo and be measuring what it might cost to get another veteran out of a trade before looking at the market. of free agents. This scenario does not seem likely, although given the history of injuries to Garoppolo and what a younger player like Carson Wentz has just looked for in an agreement with the Colts.
Maybe the 49ers like what Bridgewater did in his early 20s over the past two seasons. It doesn’t seem like the upgrade they’re looking for, and the idea of San Francisco giving up capital to save some money and, at best, move sideways below the center, doesn’t worry about how the office has worked. main. the last four years.