Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has come out of retirement and signed with the Detroit Lions on Thursday, weeks after he coached his high school alma mater to a state championship.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Bridgewater’s return does not mean the team is disappointed with current backup quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Bridgewater had said last week that he wanted to return to the NFL after coaching Miami Northwestern Senior High School, his alma mater, to the Class 3A Florida High School Athletic Association state title earlier this month.
“My team knows that’s the plan. 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. We’ll see how it plays out,” he told NFL Network’s “The Insiders” last week.
A source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Thursday that Bridgewater has received NFL coaching inquiries in recent weeks but that he wants to try to win a championship as a player before entertaining those opportunities.
Bridgewater, 32, spent last season as the Lions’ backup quarterback behind starter Jared Goff.
Campbell said that he has been in contact with Bridgewater “for a while” and that re-signing him was always a possibility because of Bridgewater’s leadership and familiarity with the system. The Lions organization has a tremendous amount of trust in Bridgewater and has followed him throughout his high school coaching journey this year.
“It just brings a level of professionalism, veteran presence, somebody that’s great for our team, he’s great for the position,” Campbell said.
“Doesn’t mean we’re disappointed in Hooker. That’s not what this means. It just means this gives us somebody that’s played a lot in the NFL. We’re getting ready for the playoffs, and so it’ll be good to get him back in the fold with us.”
The Lions have continued to develop Hooker, who has “improved,” according to Campbell. Hooker has learned under Goff after becoming the Lions’ highest-drafted quarterback since Matthew Stafford went No. 1 in 2009. Hooker was selected as the 68th overall pick in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
However, Campbell said he feels that the addition of Bridgewater is “great” for the team, not only on the field, but in practices, as well, with his friendly demeanor and many years of experience that fit well with players.
“This does not mean that Hooker is out. That’s not what this means. If it comes to that, Hooker’s going to play for us, but Teddy probably will, too,” Campbell said. “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.”
After retiring, Bridgewater was hired by Miami Northwestern in February, tasked with turning around a program that had gone 4-6 the previous season. Miami Northwestern went 12-2 on the season, outscoring its opponents 262-12 in five playoff games. It finished the season on a 10-game winning streak.
A first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014, Bridgewater has had a career that was nearly derailed by a torn ACL and a dislocated knee sustained during training camp in 2016; he missed all of that season and most of 2017 before leaving the Vikings. He spent two seasons with the New Orleans Saints (2018-19), started 29 games over two seasons for the Carolina Panthers (2020) and Denver Broncos (2021), and served as Tua Tagovailoa’s backup with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, when he was limited by injuries again. He then signed with the Lions for his last season and appeared in one game to kneel out a victory.
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard contributed to this report.