Mage

If it is true the Panthers were deep in the Stafford talks, then I don't see any reason to think as of now we won't be super aggressive trying to trade up for a QB.

I agree with you his weapons haven't been bad (although not sure it makes up for his horrendous run game) but Stafford is way better than Cutler. LIS the best comparison, not just player-style but where they rank in the NFL, is Carson Palmer. A good quarterback who could very easily be great if the team around him is good enough. The Bengals were to Palmer like the Lions are to Stafford (and Palmer's weapons and run game were generally better than Stafford's). We'll see if Stafford can find his Cardinals. I see no reason though why Stafford can't be a playoff winning QB. Lions just were never all that good.

Look, we can talk all day about leverage, but one thing has always been true in sports: when a player wants out, it always happens. When is the last time a high-profile athlete publicly demanded out and it didn’t happen? People also seem to be ignoring the idea that the Texans in all likelihood will suck again. They sucked last year despite Watson’s best season. Now they are older with no cap space and no first round pick. They will be bad. And the situation won’t get any better. Yes they have leverage but by keeping him you are absolutely wrecking your team chemistry. Watson will get traded without a doubt.

GO GET HIM TEPPER

Probably an unpopular opinion at this point, but I think Jared Goff can still be a great QB in the NFL. Accuracy doesn't disappear, and Goff has loads of it. His decision-making has been atrocious though, but Los Angeles shouldn't just give up on him. I think he'd be a great fit here personally. Unfortunately I don't really want to trade for that contract.

Stafford is far closer to Carson Palmer when he was traded away from the Raiders than he is Cam Newton. I don't want the Panthers to trade for Stafford unless the compensation was relatively low. But make no mistake about it. Stafford can still play this game. Palmer played well until he was 38. Anything can happen, obviously, but Stafford could certainly play until that age. He'll always have one of the strongest arms in the game. And he's always been mobile enough to move in the pocket. LIS. I don't really desire him in a trade. But I'd be hype as hell for this offense if we got him.

LOL Saints

Lol we letting posts like this slide on the Huddle?

Lol they are still a divisional rival. Are fans not allowed to root against teams that are better than theirs?

Rodgers vs Brady. Championship Game. Winner goes to Super Bowl. And quite possibly the final Rodgers/Brady game ever. If you are a football fan... how can you not be watching this? I can't remember the last non-Panthers game I was this hyped for. Holy crap.

I can't believe there's actually some people who could tolerate the Bucs winning That'd crush me

This IMO guaranteed he’s traded. That is probably why his camp leaked this. No HC is taking that job unless Texans agree to trade Watson.

Brian Burns. I bought his jersey after the season. He's an absolute stud.

People really underestimate how badly teams seek QBs. If the Bears were willing to take on Nick Foles and his contract from the Jaguars, then I am 100% positive the Panthers could trade Bridgewater if they really wanted or had to. Even if it meant we were only getting a 5th or 4th round pick in return. I don't think we would trade him unless we were getting another QB though. But if we need him traded we could find partners. Broncos for example.

If you are rolling with the idea that we are drafting a QB in the 1st round this year anyway, then really its only 2 1st round picks and a rookie contract we're trading away. That is definitely a fair deal for Deshaun Watson, even for a team rebuilding.

Andddddddddddd we have a future OC in case Joe Brady gets signed next offseason. Freakin' fantastic hire.

Lions main focus is getting Stafford's contract off their hands. I'd take the trade if it was Teddy B + a 3rd round pick. Stafford with DJ Moore and Robby Anderson would be DUMB fun to watch

Literally nobody thinks this.

Whether we want to trade CMC or not, why would the Texans want to take on that contract? Not that I don't think CMC is worth it, because I do, but the Texans are already in a terrible cap situation. Texans, if they trade Watson, are gonna want draft picks and young players on rookie deals. At least if they play it smart.

But this isn't the conversation we are having. We are strictly talking about the decision and signing of Teddy Bridgewater. I have at no point in our discussion made any reference or comment to other decisions we made and who was at fault. Which is why there is no point in me responding to it. You are trying to put words in my mouth and I'm not going to bite. Case in point: How many more times do I need to say that I don't think Marty Hurney forced Teddy Bridgewater on Matt Rhule? If this is what you are going to do then we can just agree to disagree.

I mean, if it wasn't about Bridgewater, then why did Hurney get fired? If the team was competing hard and the rookies were playing well, then tell me what reason Tepper had to fire Hurney.

I literally said it likely factored in to Hurney's reasoning for pounding the table for Bridgewater, and why Rhule was okay with it. But yeah, I'm the one picking and choosing... I don't know how much more clearer I can make it for you. Nobody is freakin' saying Rhule didn't want Bridgewater. We are saying Rhule wasn't the one who pounded the table the hardest for him, and if it was Rhule's sole decision, Bridgewater either wouldn't have been signed (because the team was comfortable with tanking) or he wouldn't have been signed to a long-term deal. Again, there is a reason Hurney got fired when he did and why the team is already ready to move on from him. You keep acting like we're saying Hurney forced TB on Rhule and Rhule had no input and nobody is saying that. I'm going to say it one more time. Rhule was okay with Teddy. Rhule and Hurney were likely cognizant that Bridgewater had worked with Brady. But Hurney is the one who most wanted to pull the trigger, and (this I can say with almost certainty) Hurney was the one who chose to give Bridgewater the contract that he did. I also find it hilarious that you keep trying to spin it as a "you are just trying to place blame on Hurney." No, that isn't the case at all. I've actually said in the past that I was okay with the Bridgewater contract because of how easy it is to get out of after 2021. And relative to other starting QBs and their contracts, it's cheap. Even now, I don't think it is that big of a deal. This isn't about trying to place blame on anyway. I am just telling you how it is. So stop crying about people picking and choosing or just trying to place blame on Hurney. That isn't what I'm doing. I'm just looking at it from a POV of... Hurney benefited the most from Bridgewater working out. Hurney wasn't fired until Bridgewater officially flamed out, despite the fact the rookies were playing well and the team was competing harder than they did otherwise. Rhule immediately distanced himself from TB and all but made it obvious they were moving on.

What kind of response is this? We're talking about the signing of Teddy Bridgewater. Not once have I brought up any of that other stuff or made any mention of picking-and-choosing. Nor did I respond to a post of yours mentioning any of that, only that you were suggesting Rhule is the main culprit of the TB signing.

I've been a fan of the NFL a long time. NBA too, but to a lesser extent. And here is one thing I have learned: when there is smoke (like actual serious smoke like this), there is almost ALWAYS fire. And there has been just way too much smoke here. The only thing that makes this different is I'm not sure what the Texans do. Trading a known elite QB in his prime is literally unheard of in the NFL. And because the NFLPA is dumb as hell, Watson has little to no leverage. The only thing he can do is not show up, but he'll be costing himself money and depending on the Texans to say "enough is enough" and give in to trading him. But if I'm the Texans, as much as I hate it for the player, I'm not trading Watson until I'm absolutely forced to (and really, it'd take Watson blowing up the locker-room in a Harden-esque fashion for them to be forced to). Definitely gonna be an interesting offseason. I'm convinced Watson is done with the Texans as far as his respect for the organization. And if he played any other position, he'd be gone by the new league year. But I just don't see why Houston trades him. You are VERY unlikely to win a trade where you give away Deshaun Watson.

Dude, a first-time OC who just came from college is not going to have enough clout to make a team sign Bridgewater to the contract he got. Again, if it was that simple, then why is the team already in such a hurry to move on from him? Sorry but if the coaches were that sold on Bridgewater, they wouldn't give up on him after a year and they wouldn't have fired Hurney. Which, again... why else do you think Hurney got fired when he did? Our rookies were playing well. The team was performing better than it had any reason to. So, again, why do you think he got fired at the time that he did? Oh yeah... Hurney pounded the table for Bridgewater. Hurney had, by far, the most to gain by Bridgewater performing well. Yes, Matt Rhule was likely okay-ish with the decision. But Rhule likely would not have made that decision, and certainly not at the price-point TB got, if it wasn't for Hurney. Nobody is suggesting Rhule had 0 input. We're just telling you that if we had to put a % on it, it was 85% Hurney and 15% Rhule. I mean this is a team that had like 6 or 7 rookies starting on defense. And yet you think that same head coach really cared if he had a QB? Rhule and Tepper were willing to go all-in on a tank. Hurney was not.