Suddenly, it feels like the Jets are a bad baseball team, Teddy Bridgewater is a stud pitcher and the July 31 trade deadline is upon us.
Bridgewater has proven he can still play quarterback this preseason, which has put the Jets in a very interesting position. Sam Darnold looks ready to start the season on Sept. 10 in Detroit. They already have the veteran backup/mentor in Josh McCown. That leaves Bridgewater, who turns 26 in November, as an interesting trade chip.
But here’s the thing: There is no rush to trade Bridgewater. There is no July 31 or Aug. 31 deadline for this. The Jets do not have to move him before the season starts. In fact, I don’t think the Jets should move him before the season unless a team loses its starting quarterback this week, in the preseason, and gets desperate.
Look around the NFL. Every team appears to have a set starting quarterback except the Bills, and it looks like they are ready to start rookie Josh Allen. Any teams calling the Jets right now about Bridgewater would be looking at him as a backup. That means they would not be offering the type of compensation Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan would and should be seeking.
Maccagnan traded three second-round picks to move up in the draft to take Darnold last year. One of those second-rounders was in 2019. Maccagnan would love to recoup a second-round pick in next year’s draft. Could Bridgewater bring that back? Not if a team is only looking for a backup.
But consider this scenario: The Jets carry three quarterbacks into the regular season. Darnold is the starter, with McCown as his backup and Bridgewater put on ice. A team that feels it can contend for the playoffs this year loses its starting quarterback to a major injury early in the season. Chances are Bridgewater is better than whoever their backup quarterback is. If you have watched any preseason games, you know the play of backup quarterbacks in this league leaves little to be desired.
If the Jets then have this team in desperation mode, a second-round pick is possible with the idea that they might have to settle for a third-rounder. The Browns sent a third-round pick to the Bills for Tyrod Taylor, which is a fair trade comparison.
Maccagnan has shown he is willing to let things play out and wait until the last moment to make a deal. Look at how he handled Sheldon Richardson a year ago. The Jets had trade offers for Richardson during the draft that year, but none for the price Maccagnan was looking for. He waited until the end of training camp and ended up getting a second-round pick and Jermaine Kearse from the Seahawks for Richardson in what was his best move as the Jets’ GM. Before that, Maccagnan waited until the last minute to sign Ryan Fitzpatrick and Muhammad Wilkerson to contracts. He has shown he is deliberate and won’t be in a rush to make a deal.
The added benefit of waiting to ship out Bridgewater is having him in the building. The Jets have loved having him around. He is a positive influence on Darnold and always seems to have a smile on his face. Plus, he’s still a pretty good player. The Jets could use him if Darnold gets injured. Last year, only 12 quarterbacks played all 16 games for their teams.
Between McCown and Bridgewater, the Jets would have $16 million tied up in backup quarterbacks, but they have the cap space to handle that.
So, just like Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, the trade speculation right now about Bridgewater could wind up being just that: speculation.
Don’t be surprised if he sticks around for a while.
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