Teddy Bridgewater rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency

2. Jacksonville Jaguars

After a run to the AFC Championship Game in 2017, the Jaguars gave Blake Bortles a contract extension. The error in that was proven immediately in 2018, as the team underachieved and Bortles was benched in favor of Cody Kessler for a time. There are now cap implications with cutting Bortles, but that’s what Jacksonville is expected to do. By designating the former No. 3 overall pick as a post-June 1 cut, a $16.5 million dead money hit can be spread over two years.

Jacksonville can move into positive territory against the salary cap with some cuts and restructures. obviously including Bortles. But shy of signing (or a trade for, at this point) Nick Foles, it’s virtually certain they won’t be paying big for a veteran quarterback in free agency. Not that there’s a quarterback in line to really break the bank anyway, as Kirk Cousins was at this time last year.

Even if they draft a quarterback in April, possibly as early as the seventh overall pick, the Jaguars can offer Bridgewater a good chance at a starting job. The core of what was a good team in 2017 should remain in place, and simply having more competent play under center could easily bring a rebound campaign for Jacksonville in 2019.