NFL Trade Rumors: Will Teddy Bridgewater head back to the New Orleans Saints?
Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater endured a tough first season with his new team, the Carolina Panthers. The veteran quarterback, who was snapped up by the Panthers last offseason, tossed as many interceptions (11) as TD passes (15) in the 2020 NFL season.
Back in New Orleans, franchise QB Drew Brees could be set to retire. His understudy, Jameis Winston, is a free agent and may be set to test the waters if the Saints do not offer him a new deal.
If these two scenarios play out, it leaves Saints head coach Sean Payton in a bit of a pickle. It's looking likely that the New Orleans Saints will soon be left with Taysom Hill as the only quarterback on the roster.
With all the uncertainty surrounding the future of the quarterback position in New Orleans, rumors suggest that Bridgewater could be set for a dramatic return to the Saints.
NFL Trade Rumors: Teddy Bridgewater back to the New Orleans Saints from the Carolina Panthers?
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport speculated that Bridgewater getting traded back to the New Orleans Saints wouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The NFL insider stated in a tweet:
“A rare intradivision trade wouldn’t shock me,” Rapoport tweeted. “I know Teddy Bridgewater and the #Saints still have mutual respect. Obviously would depend on what happens with Jameis Winston, too.”
A trade like this has many variables. To have any chance of it materializing, the Panthers would need to find a better long-term solution under center. Drew Brees would need to announce his retirement from the NFL, and then the Saints would need to let backup QB Jameis Winston walk free.
Personally, I'm not so sure there is much weight to this rumor. I don't really see who benefits besides the news desks. Saints fans would be happy to welcome Bridgewater back to New Orleans in a backup role. But with the Russell Wilson rumors refusing to die down, Bridgewater returning from the Panthers as the signal-caller would be a bit of an anticlimax for Saints fans.