By Colton Pouncy and Alex Andrejev
Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will step away from being a high school state champion coach and jump back into the NFL. He’s coming out of retirement and has signed with the Detroit Lions, head coach Dan Campbell confirmed Thursday.
Campbell said he’d been talking to Bridgewater for a few weeks. The Lions coach also said Bridgewater stayed in shape and will be great for the team.
“It just brings a level of professionalism. … It’ll be good to get him back in the fold,” Campbell said during a Thursday news conference.
Bridgewater, who last played in the league for the Lions in 2023, told NFL Network last week that he might be signing with a team and then return to coaching Miami (Fla.) Northwestern Senior High School, his alma mater, after the NFL season.
Bridgewater, 32, became the football program’s coach in February, guiding the team to a Class 3A Florida High School Athletic Association state championship earlier this month in his first season on the job.
“My team knows that’s the plan,” Bridgewater told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport on “The Insiders.” “We wanted to win a state championship and then coach goes back to the league, see what happens, and then come back February in the offseason, continue coaching high school football.”
Campbell noted bringing Bridgewater back doesn’t mean the team isn’t pleased with the development of second-year QB Hendon Hooker, who’s been the backup for Jared Goff this season.
“He’s improved, he really has,” Campbell said of Hooker. “We feel like every week, he’s gotten a little bit better. This does not mean that Hooker is out. That’s not what this means. If it comes to that, Hooker is gonna play for us. But Teddy probably will, too. So, I understand what it looks like, but it’s just a different world that we’re getting ready to walk into and we felt like this was the right thing to do, especially with somebody that I have a tremendous amount of trust with and for. He understands our offense well, the guys know him well, the coaches know him well and he brings a certain level of comfort to us.”
Bridgewater retired after the 2023 season following a decade in the league that saw him play for six teams, capped by one season as a backup with the Detroit Lions. The No. 32 pick in the 2014 draft, Bridgewater began his career with the Minnesota Vikings before stints with the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Lions.
He started 65 of the 79 games he appeared in, throwing for 15,120 yards and 75 touchdowns against 47 interceptions and recording a 66.4 percent completion percentage.
What Bridgewater brings to Detroit
When Bridgewater signed with the Lions last August, he offered them a reliable veteran backup behind Goff. Though he was never needed in a big moment, he brought a calming presence and an additional football mind to the room. He told reporters at the end of the 2023 season that it would be his last, and that he would be retiring to coach high school football at his alma mater. He is now back after leading the school to a state championship.
Bridgewater’s biggest contribution to the Lions last year might’ve been off the field. Coaches have raved about his ability to mentor and be a resource for young players. Wide receiver Jameson Williams and Hooker, in particular, credited Bridgewater for helping show them the ropes throughout the 2023 season. Williams is now closing in on his first 1,000-yard season (890 yards) and Hooker — who lived with Bridgewater this offseason — began the year as Detroit’s No. 2 QB after showing flashes in the preseason.
With the move, Detroit adds another QB who knows the system to its room before a playoff run, and Bridgewater now has a chance to win a ring. Good fit for all parties involved. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer
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(Photo: Ryan Kang / Getty Images)
