Video

By Bucky Brooks | NFL.com Analyst

The New Orleans Saints pulled off a bit of a surprise on Wednesday when they shipped a 2019 third-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and a 2019 sixth-round selection. The move not only upgrades the Saints' QB2 spot, but it also provides coach Sean Payton with a young signal-caller to groom as a successor to Drew Brees.

With that in mind, here are three reasons why the Bridgewater trade is a great move for the Saints:
1) Bridgewater gives the Saints a solid QB2 with long-term QB1 potential.

The Saints have been searching for a QB2 with the talent and potential to succeed Drew Brees for years. The team hasn't found a solid developmental prospect in either the draft (think of Garrett Grayson, a third round pick in 2015, or Sean Canfield, a seventh-rounder in 2010) or in free agency (think of Chase Daniel or Luke McCown). With Tom Savage (career passer rating of 72.5) and special-teams standout Taysom Hill (who is intriguing based on his talent as a utility player but not ready to be a QB2 on a team in the hunt for a Super Bowl title) currently on the depth chart behind Brees, they turned to the trade market.

Although Brees is signed through 2019, New Orleans needs to have a succession plan in place, given that the perennial Pro Bowler will turn 40 next January. Bridgewater would certainly appear to be a solid replacement as a young quarterback (25) with significant starting experience (28 regular-season starts) and a playoff pedigree. The one-time Pro Bowler has not only guided a franchise to the postseason, but he did it as a youngster in a Vikings offense that was conservative by nature. Sure, his career numbers aren't eye-popping at first glance (he has a 64.7 percent completion rate and a 28:22 touchdown-to-interception ratio), but he played "winning" football (low turnovers, smart decisions) for a defensive-oriented squad. ...

Full Story - NFL.com