Taking Bridgewater to the Bank
The Carolina Panthers made a clear statement by signing Teddy Bridgewater in free agency, for quite a large amount of money as well.
As such, there won’t be room on the books for the team to pay both him and longtime franchise quarterback Cam Newton, something fans and sportsbook enthusiasts are paying attention to as they plan their 2020 fortunes on places like bola88 with the obvious salary cap restrictions making it impossible.
Signing Bridgewater will result in the eventual trade of Newton, assuming he’s healthy, coming off foot surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2019 season.
And while it’s currently unclear how Newton’s shoulder and foot are coming along, few people around the league have a better idea of what shape he’s in than Ron Rivera — now the Redskins head coach.
The previous regime drafted Dwayne Haskins, but Rivera and Co. don’t be enthralled with the idea of making him their signal-caller going forward. Not only that, the Redskins also reportedly reached out to the Panthers about trading for Newton.
Regarding Washington as a potential destination for Cam Newton, I'm told the team discussed it, talks did not rise to the level of definitive interest at this time, more of a "wait & see mode" right now observing Newton's market. #Skins also like their young guys too, per source.
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 18, 2020
Betting odds list Washington and New England as the favorites to land Newton.
Cam Newton is +170 to sign with the Patriots, the second best odds pic.twitter.com/nyBmmFGAgW
— Prime Time Boston (@PTSBoston) March 18, 2020
Reuniting him with Rivera would make sense. The distance traveled is so close that he could actually drive from Carolina to Washington D.C.
A Little Bitter Texas Tea
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien has been put on blast over how he handled the DeAndre Hopkins situation, and rightfully so.
It seems as if O’Brien simply didn’t get along with Hopkins and his lifestyle, as indicated by Michael Irvin, and that’s why a coach should not have full control of the team’s roster and personnel decisions, as BOB does.
Hopkins is not the first player to have issues with O’Brien, either. There have been other former Texans in the past that have complained about the way he and ownership treats players.
Former Texans receiver Jaelen Strong was the most recent player to do exactly that, as he absolutely blasted O’Brien on Twitter, even going as far as to blame him for “ruining” his NFL career.
This is who Bill O Brien is. Y’all thought it was my fault I wasn’t seeing the field. The man simply didn’t like me because I was a product of my environment. PERFORMANCE means nothing. He wasted my first 3 years ultimately ruining my NFL career. I never knew how to kiss ass 🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/CzLaB3pxPq
— Strizzy (@JaelenStrong) March 18, 2020
O’Brien has rubbed a lot of guys the wrong way, and the Texans may be paying the price. Hopkins isn’t the type of player who can simply be replaced — he’s a generational talent. And now Deshaun Watson is left with a barren receiving corps.
The Sweet Stuff
The Texans-Cardinals trade involving DeAndre Hopkins and David Johnson was questioned big-time when news first broke, but it’s starting to make a bit more sense right about now.
It was known that there was some dissension between Hopkins and the Texans front office, but apparently it was more than that. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien essentially is the front office, as he’s the general manager as well, and he controls personnel decision making. And apparently, he didn’t get along well with Hopkins.
Michael Irvin appeared on NFL Network’s “Get Up” and shared some interesting news. He stated that O’Brien had a problem with Hopkins bringing his baby mamas around the team, and even went on to say he compared his situation to that of Aaron Hernandez.
“The last time I had to have a meeting like this, it was with Aaron Hernandez,” Irvin said O’Brien told Hopkins.
Michael Irvin said DeAndre Hopkins told him that Bill O’Brien compared him to Aaron Hernandez and didn’t like his having multiple baby mamas around pic.twitter.com/7hwl7p2YlR
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) March 18, 2020
That’s why coaches can’t be general managers, and vice versa. Teams have to leave the personal issues at the door when making personnel decisions, as now the Texans are without their best player on offense.