It’s looking like the Teddy Bridgewater experiment could be coming to an end.
The Carolina Panthers will be starting fresh this offseason following the firing of general manager Marty Hurney. If owner David Tepper doesn’t view someone as part of the long-term option, they could be headed for free agency.
Teddy Bridgewater might be the first victim to fall under that category.
On Monday, the Panthers owner spoke with reporters on the firing of Hurney. While speaking of the future and the present, Tepper mentioned how a quarterback will decide if a team can go deep into the postseason and even make the big game.
“Unless you have that guy to get you to playoffs or Super Bowls, you have to keep reevaluating that. Because the only thing that matters is Super Bowls,’’ Tepper said, according to reporters.
If anything that’s a direct shot at Bridgewater’s lone season in the Queen City.
Should the Panthers start fresh under center
Currently, Carolina holds the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Thanks to a win over the Los Angeles Rams, the New York Jets now are expected to be the No. 2 pick. Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars move up into the top spot and are in line for Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.
Ohio State’s Justin Fields is likely to go No. 2 no matter if the Jets stay put or trade down. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals are expected to add protection for former No.1 pick Joe Burrow. Burrow is facing a long recovery from knee surgery after suffering a midseason torn ACL and MCL.
That leaves two options in BYU’s Zach Wilson and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance up for the taking inside the top five. If the report on Bridgewater not being the “right guy” is true, Carolina will likely be drafting a pocket-passer early in April.
Bridgewater’s numbers have been average for the year despite shoddy offensive line play. In 13 starts, he’s thrown for 3,360 yards and 14 touchdowns against eight interceptions. The problem there is that without Christian McCaffrey the offense has been quiet as a whole.
Most recently, Bridgewater came under fire for a fumble at the goal line in a 24-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday evening.
Bridgewater is 3-10 as the Panthers starter. Carolina should be better, even if the 28-year-old isn’t the biggest problem. Ultimately, we could be looking at an Alex Smith-Patrick Mahomes 2.0 unfolding come next September.
Wins matter in the NFL, meaning Bridgewater’s reign could be coming to an end.