Saints, Teddy Bridgewater Restructure Contract

The Saints have created $2.71MM in cap space by restructuring quarterback Teddy Bridgewater‘s contract, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Bridgewater, whom New Orleans acquired (along with a sixth-round pick) from the Jets last month in exchange for a third-rounder, had been due a base salary of $5MM. The Saints converted just over $4MM of his salary into a signing bonus, but because Bridgewater is on a one-year deal, the club also had to add two voidable years to the end of the contract. That allows New Orleans to spread out some of Bridgwater’s cap hit (for now).

The Saints’ front office is known for kicking the can down the road financially, and while moving a bit of Bridgewater’s money to future years isn’t as odious as some of the club’s previous contract errors, his salary will hit New Orleans’ cap at some point. Specifically, the Saints will be docked cap space in 2019 when Bridgewater’s one-year deal voids after the season.

Bridgewater will serve as Drew Brees‘ backup in 2018, but it’s unclear if the Saints view Bridgewater as Brees’ heir and therefore want to sign him to an extension. If Bridgewater is forced to play this season, he could earn up to $9MM via performance and playtime incentives.

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