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On 13 March 2018, news broke that Teddy Bridgewater was expected to sign a one-year deal with the New York Jets. Over five months later, the Jets are looking at flipping their investment. Bridgewater has blown expectations out of the water this preseason. According to NFL.com, Bridgewater has thrown only ten incompletions and has completed 28 for 316 yards with two touchdowns, and one interception through three games. So, where does this leave the former first-round draft pick or the Jets for that matter?
The Market. What can the Jets get?
One of the last quarterback trades for comparison is when the Chiefs traded the 14-year veteran, Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins. The Chiefs received a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. A third-round pick is a hot commodity, but Kendall Fuller is the real headline. According to Profootballfocus.com, Fuller had a 90.6 rating, putting him third among his position. It's fair to say the Chiefs received a nice haul for their quarterback, but what are the Jets worth?
The last quarterback trade had the Bills sending Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland, for a third-round pick. Tyrod Taylor will be the starter (barring injury), over 2018 number one pick, Baker Mayfield. The last two quarterback trades show the market is clear. If you want a starting caliber quarterback, you're going to have to give up valuable draft assets.
A fair trade is a trade that neither sides are happy about. With that being said, I believe the Jets are likely to grab a fourth, and seventh-round pick for Teddy Bridgewater. However, the value isn't the biggest concern, finding a trade partner will obviously have to come first.
Who wants Teddy?
The teams that immediately come to mind already have starting quarterbacks that need competition. Those teams aren't likely to meet the high demands the Jets are believed to have. Injuries are a part of the game, and typically every year a starting quarterback gets hurt early in the year. Teddy Bridgewater might have to wait until one of those inevitable injuries takes place. Although there is a dark horse candidate that hails in the NFC East.
Eli Manning is coming off one of the worst years of his career, is it possible this is the final year of Manning as a New York Giant, or even his career? The Giants will have a healthy Odell Beckham Jr., and rookie, Saquon Barkley as weapons. This increases the pressure on Manning to win now. The NFL is a cutthroat business and being a two-time Super Bowl champion is just something you've done in the past. The Giants have the capital to execute a trade if Manning doesn't perform. Bridgewater might be traded, but he might not have to go anywhere. A certain NFL insider doesn't agree.
