The key piece of the Bridgewater report wasn’t the $25 million per season

Prior to kickoff of Sunday’s Broncos-Lions game, a report surfaced that Teddy Bridgewater would be seeking a new contract in the offseason with an average per season salary of $25 million. The number caused quite a stir on social media.

Fast forward to Wednesday, when DMac asked the quarterback about the report. More specifically, he asked about the dollar amount.

“Until it comes from me, it’s not true,” Bridgewater explained. “That’s what happens during this time of year. You see numbers come out. You try to put a value on a guy so that if things don’t work out with the team that he’s playing on, it’s, ‘Oh, he wanted too much money.’ I’ll tell you right now, I haven’t mentioned anything about a deal. My primary focus is trying to help this team win football games and trying to get into the playoffs. The rest will take care of itself. My job is to play football. All that other stuff, that’s for my agent and my advisors. I’m here to help this team be a better football team every day.”

Pressed on the matter, the QB was emphatic.

“It didn’t come from me, so it’s false for sure,” Bridgewater added. “Until you hear it from me, or hear it from my camp, don’t believe anything you read.”

To further make the point, Mike Klis of 9News posted this tweet with a quote from Bridgewater’s agent.

Kennard McGuire, agent for Teddy Bridgewater, on report(s) Broncos QB will be seeking multiyear deal for about $25M per: "Teddy is focused on the season and winning football games. Anything outside of that is completely false." #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) December 15, 2021

Could it be damage control? Of course. Players and coaches fib all of the time when they’re standing at the podium. And agents are always going to deny, deny, deny.

But this didn’t feel that way. Bridgewater didn’t deflect. He emphatically denied.

And the agent didn’t stop at the idea that the quarterback is “focused on the season and winning football games.” He added the line about the report being “completely false.”

All of this is interesting. And it made for an entertaining day at Dove Valley and on Broncos Twitter. But it’s missing the bigger point. It’s totally ignoring the key nugget from the original report.

Not only did it say that Bridgewater would be seeking $25 million per season, it stated that the QB didn’t think the Broncos would be offering him the money. In other words, the quarterback is expecting to bolt after the season.

That’s important. That’s telling.

For a lot of people in Broncos Country, it’s a relief. They want the veteran to be nothing more than a bridge quarterback. They’re anxious for the journeyman to continue his quest.

But it also helps explain one of the most-controversial plays of the season. It adds context to Bridgewater’s “business decision” against the Eagles.

Teddy Bridgewater just made the most egregious business decision I think I’ve ever seen on a football field.

Y’all giving him a pass since he’s a Quarterback? pic.twitter.com/ceWSwfWLZU

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) November 14, 2021

If Bridgewater thinks he’s in a position to sign a contract averaging $25 million per season, why would he risk that by trying to make a tackle on a scoop and score? More importantly, why would he risk it for a team that he doesn’t plan to be playing for in 2022 and beyond?

These questions are much more important. They are actually pertinent to what’s happening this season. They provide a glimpse into the mindset of the person playing the most-important position in football for the Broncos the rest of the season.

It’s not shocking that Bridgewater would want $25 million per year. That’s bottom-half-of-the-league starter money.

What’s newsworthy is that he doesn’t think he’ll get it from the Broncos. That makes him a short-timer. And that adds a lot of texture to the rest of the season.

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