The 49ers are eavesdropping on the availability of Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, according to an Athletic report. Given what we know about the San Francisco quarterback’s situation, an exchange involving the titular Carolina quarterback doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said before the end of last season that he wanted Jimmy Garoppolo to be part of the 49ers’ core in the future, and that Garoppolo’s separation would require a significant update.
Bridgewater does not check this box.
Last season, in 15 games he shot for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 69.1% completion rate. His 7.6 yards per attempt was not remarkable, but established a career high for the choice of the ex-Vikings in the first round. On the other hand, in the previous year with the Saints, he launched nine touchdowns and just two interceptions with a passer rating of 99.1 the best of his career in five games – all victories.
All signs point to Garoppolo’s side play at best. Bridgewater would be around $ 12 million cheaper this season (assuming it happened before June 1), but it would also cost San Francisco a draft choice.
Its almost $ 13 million limit reached would also prevent 49ers from making the deal to bring it up as a backup. They have no space to spend more than $ 35 million for two intermediate defenders.
One way to make sense, purely hypothetically, is if the 49ers are offered a choice in the first round of a team for Garoppolo and they are evaluating how much it would cost to win another veteran in a negotiation before examining the free agent market. This scenario does not seem likely, given Garoppolo’s injury history and what a younger player like Carson Wentz did in an agreed exchange with the Colts.
Perhaps the 49ers like what Bridgewater has done in his 20 games in the past two seasons. It does not seem to be the update they are looking for, and the idea that San Francisco would forgo drawing capital to save a little money and, at best, moving sideways under the center is not in keeping with the shape how the front line has been operating for the past four years.