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METAIRIE, La. -- Let's start with the positive: It's hard not to like the idea of Teddy Bridgewater as Drew Brees' eventual successor. Bridgewater is still just 25, and his comeback from a brutal knee injury so far this summer has been as impressive/inspiring as the two years he spent as the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback from 2014 to '15. So if this turns out to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, then we might never care how much the New Orleans Saints paid to get Bridgewater. But I'll admit, I was pretty stunned to see the Saints send a third-round draft pick to the New York Jets on Wednesday in exchange for a sixth-round pick and just a one-year rental of Bridgewater, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March. Even if Bridgewater decides that he loves New Orleans and Sean Payton's playbook and is willing to give the Saints a sliver of a hometown discount on his next contract, he won't come cheap now that he has shown the NFL that he is back healthy and playing at an efficient level again. And who knows how long Bridgewater would have to wait for an opening in New Orleans. Brees, 39, hasn't shown any major signs of drop-off yet and just signed a two-year, $50 million deal in March. So let's say this is just about 2018. I get it. Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles reminded us all last season of how vital a good backup quarterback is. And New Orleans is surrounded by Super Bowl expectations this season. The Saints have one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL now that they've rebuilt their offensive line, run game and defense. They don't want the ship to go down if Brees goes down. If it's possible to label a team as going "all-in" by acquiring a backup quarterback, well, that's exactly what the Saints just did. But they could have decided that back in March, when they could have just signed Bridgewater in free agency without spending a draft pick on him. And better yet -- Bridgewater would have had a full offseason to learn and develop in the Saints' system instead of showing up cold a week before the season opener. Bridgewater will cost at least $5 million this year (plus up to $9 million more in "not likely to be earned" incentives tied to playing time, yards and touchdowns -- which will kick in only if they really, really need him). Those numbers are certainly palatable. But it's no small investment considering the Saints started the day with less than $8 million in salary-cap space. This is hands-down the biggest investment the Saints have ever made in a backup quarterback in the Brees-Payton era. The only thing that comes close is drafting Garrett Grayson in the third round in 2015, and that didn't pan out. And they came very close to drafting Patrick Mahomes II with the 11th overall pick last year before landing NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore instead. (Both of those examples make the idea of a long-term Bridgewater investment all the more enticing). The Saints tried to go cheap at backup quarterback. But clearly they didn't like what they saw from veteran backup Tom Savage or second-year dual threat Taysom Hill this summer. Savage, who signed for close to the veteran minimum, was decent in practices and in preseason games, but not particularly special. Hill, meanwhile, was a roller-coaster ride. He flashed some exciting dual-threat potential (leading the team in rushing in each of the three preseason games). But he also looked very green at times -- especially when he threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles in the first half of New Orleans' second preseason game. Hill will stick on the Saints' roster because of that intriguing potential and because he is a core special-teams coverage player. But Payton's lofty hopes for Hill when he suggested last year that Brees' successor could be "in the building" have lost some of their luster. So now they turn to Bridgewater. It's possible he could be an exciting part of the Saints' future. It's possible he could be an overpriced insurance policy. But one thing that's not up for debate: He's the most exciting thing that has happened to the Saints' backup quarterback position in over a decade.
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