NFL Rumors: Dallas Cowboys Impact Teddy Bridgewater's Choice Of New Orleans Saints Or Miami Dolphins

Tedd Bridgewater Drew Brees — Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints talks with Teddy Bridgewater during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on August 30, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t signed any big free agents in the 2019 NFL offseason, but they might be playing a major role in the decision of the best quarterback on the market. Rumors that the team might be looking for New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton to replace current Cowboys’ coach Jason Garrett in 2020 could reportedly keep Teddy Bridgewater from re-signing with the NFC South champions.

A source has told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr. that Bridgewater is well aware that there’s no guarantee Payton will still be in New Orleans after the upcoming season. It’s part of the reason why the signal caller met with the Miami Dolphins when it had previously been assumed he would return to the Saints.

If Payton stays with the Saints, the plan is for Bridgewater to eventually take over as the team’s starting quarterback. Drew Brees turned 40 years old in January and could only be a year away from retirement.

One question with Bridgwater staying in New Orleans on the hope of replacing Drew Brees is there is no guarantee Sean Payton will still be there as coach, per source close to the QB. Those Dallas rumors haven't gone away and they have heard them. So https://t.co/4kC8eFYI6w
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) March 13, 2019

I mentioned on our @AroundTheNFL show a short while ago the #Saints' deal for Teddy Bridgewater the team believed they were gonna close out was for around $7 million base value, sources say. So as he meets the #Dolphins, he has decent money on the table from New Orleans already.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 13, 2019

Drew Brees' contract is set to void after this season, after which the #Saints will be left with $21.3 million in dead money on the cap, whether Brees comes back or not.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2019

A new Saints’ coach might want to go in a different direction, perhaps deciding to draft a quarterback instead of handing the starting job over to a player that hasn’t been a full-time starter since the 2015 season.

Miami is expected to move on from Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins would give Bridgewater a chance to start immediately and potentially earn a much more lucrative contract in the near future. Bridgewater is also from Miami.

Bridgewater was the last pick of the first round in the 2014 NFL Draft. He went 17-11 in two seasons as the Minnesota Vikings’ starter before a broken leg changed the course of his career. After signing with the New York Jets and playing well in last year’s preseason, he was traded to New Orleans.

The Saints restructured Brees’ contract Thursday in hopes of creating room under the salary cap to re-sign Bridgewater.

National Football League