Teddy Bridgewater as Tampa Bay’s QB? Bruce Arians explains why Buccaneers had interest
This past offsesason saw one of the craziest quarterback carousels in NFL history.
Phillip Rivers is in Indianapolis, Cam Newton is in New England, Jameis Winston is in New Orleans as a backup, Tom Brady is in Tampa Bay and Teddy Bridgewater came to Carolina.
Things almost didn’t shake out that way, however. During his talk with the local Carolina media Wednesday, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was asked about Tampa Bay’s interest in Bridgewater before landing one of the greatest of all time.
“He was very, very high on radar. I’ve always best big fan of his,” Arians said. “He’s a bright guy, very accurate and doesn’t turn the ball over. He’s just one heck of a quarterback.”
The Panthers will travel to play the Buccaneers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
Before free agency began in March, there were multiple reports of the Buccaneers having interest in Bridgewater. Brady, 43, decided to leave the Patriots and move down south, instead of heading west to Los Angeles, but there was certainly the potential for Bridgewater, 27, to be playing for a different NFC South team after leaving the Saints following two years as a backup.
“(I’ve) just always been a big fan. I thought he played outstanding,” Arians said of Bridgewater’s performance last week. “No one came close to taking the ball away from him, they never do. He knows where he’s going with it. He’s very accurate. Trained a little bit more, looks very healthy. But I’ve always been a big fan, I think he’s a winner.”
Bridgewater completed 22 of 34 passes Sunday for 269 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked once and also ran for 26 yards on four carries. Brady had a tough outing against the Saints on the road in Week 1, completing 23 of 36 passes for 239 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, including a pick-six. He was sacked three times.
“I don’t want to dwell on the past right now. I’m excited that I’m here in Charlotte, the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers,” Bridgewater said when asked about the Buccaneers’ interest Monday. “We have a chance to do something great around here and I’m excited that I get to come to work every day with a group of guys who understand what’s at stake for us, we all play with a chip on our shoulder.”
