The 49ers are poking around about the availability of Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater according to a report in the Athletic. Given what we know about San Francisco’s quarterback situation, a swap involving Carolina’s starting quarterback doesn’t make a ton of sense.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said before the end of last season that he wanted Jimmy Garoppolo to be part of the 49ers’ core moving forward, and that separating from Garoppolo would require a significant upgrade.
Bridgewater doesn’t check that box.
Last season in 15 starts he threw for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 69.1 percent completion rate. His 7.6 yards per attempt weren’t remarkable, yet they set a career high for the former Vikings’ first-round pick. On the other hand, the previous year with the Saints he tossed nine touchdowns and just two interceptions with a career-best 99.1 passer rating in five starts – all victories.
All signs point to him being a lateral move from Garoppolo in a best-case scenario. Bridgewater would come about $12 million cheaper this season (assuming it happened before June 1), but he’d also cost San Francisco a draft pick.
His nearly $13 million cap hit would also deter the 49ers from making the trade to bring him in as a backup. They don’t have the cap space to shell out more than $35 million for two middle-of-the-road quarterbacks.
One way it could make sense, purely hypothetically, is if the 49ers got offered a first-round pick from a team for Garoppolo and they’re gauging what it might cost to scoop another veteran in a trade before looking over the free agent market. That scenario doesn’t seem likely though given Garoppolo’s injury history and what a younger player like Carson Wentz just went for in an agreed upon trade to the Colts.
Perhaps the 49ers like what Bridgewater’s done in his 20 starts over the last two seasons. He doesn’t appear to be the upgrade they’re seeking though, and the idea that San Francisco would give up draft capital to save a little money and at best move laterally under center doesn’t jibe with how the front office has operated over the last four years.
