2020 NFL Free Agency: Early predictions for top 25 players

8. QB Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints

2019 Salary: $7,250,000

Where he will sign: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Despite being a backup to Drew Brees and being benched upon the veteran’s return, Teddy Bridgewater absolutely earned himself a massive contract come 2020. His 5-0 record as a starter was more than enough to convince some team he can be their long-term answer at quarterback.

That team could very well be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after they part ways with Jameis Winston. It’s been a wild ride with Winston at the helm, but it’s time to put the offense in the hands of a quarterback who isn’t going to turn the ball over every other possession.

Bridgewater has the talent to turn the Buccaneers offense into one of the most consistent and productive in the NFL. While they still need to find their top dog in the ground game, they’ve got plenty of weapons to work with in the passing game. After spending 2019 throwing to Michael Thomas, I can imagine Bridgewater not being too disappointing throwing passes to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in 2020.

Bruce Arians had a plan this past offseason, but it didn’t work out quite as expected. Finding an upgrade on Winston would be a huge step in the right direction. You better believe that Bridgewater would be exactly that — that is, assuming they can convince him to leave his cushy gig as the Saints’ backup.