Jets' Teddy Bridgewater: Only gets $500k guaranteed
Bridgewater's one-year contract with the Jets includes only $500,000 guaranteed, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports.
Initially reported as a $15 million deal, Bridgewater's contract has sounded weaker and weaker as more of the details have become public. He'll collect a $500,000 signing bonus and a $500,000 workout bonus this offseason, but the rest of his money comes in the form of a non-guaranteed $5 million base salary and $9 million worth of incentives. With incumbent starter Josh McCown re-signed and the Jets recently trading up for the No. 3 overall pick with their eyes (presumably) on a young quarterback, it isn't hard to imagine a scenario in which Bridgewater is traded or released before Week 1. He may have accepted the unusual contract for that very reason, hoping the Jets will allow him to go elsewhere if McCown gets the starting job and an early draft pick appears ready for the backup gig (or vice versa). The contract structure is risky from a financial perspective, but it does improve Bridgewater's odds of getting on the field in 2018, be it for the Jets or another team.