Panthers give Teddy Bridgewater permission to seek trade

The Carolina Panthers made it official on Monday that they do not believe Teddy Bridgewater is their quarterback of the future, and they are now allowing him to explore opportunities elsewhere.

After they acquired Sam Darnold in a trade with the New York Jets, the Panthers gave Bridgewater permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Carolina is open to keeping Bridgewater, but they want him to have a say in his future.

Darnold is owed less than $1 million in base salary this season, while Bridgewater’s salary is $17 million. The Panthers are reportedly planning to exercise the fifth-year option on Darnold’s rookie contract for 2022, which is worth nearly $19 million. There’s no way they will keep both quarterbacks on the roster a year from now at their current salaries, but they have some financial flexibility for 2021.

The Panthers got off to a solid start last season before losing nine out of their last 11 games. Bridgewater finished with 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Carolina head coach Matt Rhule recently had high praise for the QB, but the Darnold trade shows how the Panthers really feel about Bridgewater’s abilities.

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