Tampa Bay Buccaneers are favorites to trade for Teddy Bridgewater

Teddy Bridgewater is a virtual lock for the trade rumor mill in the months to come. Should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be involved?

It sounds crazy to think the veteran QB is already connected to trade speculation considering he just signed with the New York Jets a few months ago. Yet that’s the reality. After the team drafted Sam Darnold #3 overall in April, everybody knew Bridgewater was on borrowed time. Even if he managed to win the starting job, it would only be temporary.

The far more likely outcome was Darnold would start and New York would basically hold the rights to a former Pro Bowl QB hostage. Ready to dangle him over a team that comes to realize their own situation is desperately in need of an upgrade. It’s sort of an offshoot of what the Philadelphia Eagles did with Sam Bradford a couple years ago.

With Darnold on track to start based on all projections, Bridgewater remains situated as the backup but everybody believes that won’t last long. The trade deadline will be October 30th this season. Smart money says they work to get a deal done with somebody. It’s just a question of who. There are many who think Tampa Bay will be the team to step up.

Buccaneers viewed as a favorite to go after Bridgewater

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NFL Network analyst and former player Michael Robinson was posed the question as to which team should be the most interested in making such a deal. The one he delivered was the Buccaneers and their ongoing uncertain situation regarding their former #1 overall pick.

"“I think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be a team that could possibly jump up. I mean you look at the history with Jameis Winston. It doesn’t seem like they seem to be confident in Jameis Winston off the field and all those things. You have an aging quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick with some young guys after them.I think Teddy’s from the state of Florida. He can go down there. He’s a proven leader. He’s a guy that’s not going to turn the football over, not going to put this offense in bad situations. I like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”"

It’s certainly a strong answer. Winston has been the starter in Tampa Bay for three years. Not only has the team failed to make the playoffs in that time, but his overall play hasn’t gotten much better from where he was as a rookie. He’s still good at times but also erratic and way too reckless with the football. Combine that with his scary off-the-field reputation?

It’s little wonder that Bridgewater is being considered a viable option. Given where their roster is the last thing they’d want to do is start from scratch. By trading for him it presents an alternative that can help them stay on track towards being competitive in the near future.

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