New Orleans Saints: How to solve the team’s quarterback conundrum

Teddy Bridgewater

Let’s just say this like it is – unless Brees becomes too expensive to keep, it is highly difficult to imagine Teddy Bridgewater remains a Saint in 2020. His market is too great for him to stay here and continue to back up Drew Brees.

He also sees the writing on the wall. Bridgewater is 28 years old.

There are only so many years you can play this game. Brees is likely going to sign for two more seasons, which means two more years for Teddy to hold the clipboard. And, even at that point, there would be no guarantee that he’d be the guy.

His market value today is $20 million. There is no way in this universe the Saints can afford to pay that for a backup QB. Even if he’s not a starter elsewhere, someone else might pay him $15 million just to go and compete for the starter’s job.

The Saints paid him $7.25 million this season to be a backup. Everyone was up in arms about that money until Teddy was forced into action and we won 5 straight games with him. Then $7.25 million looked like a steal.

With Brees’ injury – even though he came back and was outstanding – many looked and felt that Brees has lost something and they are ready to see if Teddy is the answer.

Financially, he may fit the bill. Paying him his market value would be less than they paid Brees this season, which enables you to sign another player; maybe several more players.

But that is in a world without Brees. It’s likely Brees still plays for us, and Teddy won’t want to play for $7 million again. There is a market out there for Bridgewater.

But now, I’ll make the Saints faithful feel at least a bit of hope for Bridgewater’s return. He remained with the Saints this season because he didn’t feel like the options were great for him in other places.

He was burned by the Jets before coming to the Saints. The Jets signed him to compete with Josh McCown for the starting job, but they drafted Sam Darnold, so Bridgewater was expendable, which is how he came to us.