Bridgewater, 32, played for the Lions in 2023, then retired after the season and signed as head coach of his alma mater, Miami Northwestern Senior High School. After leading the team to a Florida high school state championship, Bridgewater is coming back to help the Lions in their championship run.
Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said they had stayed in touch.
“To be able to add somebody back here that’s got experience—he’s staying in shape, he’s been throwing—just get him worked back in here a little bit. It just brings a level of professionalism, veteran presence, somebody that’s great for our team; he’s great for the position.”
The Lions already have a backup quarterback on the roster—second-year pro Hendon Hooker. They also have fourth-year quarterback Jake Fromm on their practice squad. Campbell put questions about Hooker’s status with the team to rest.
“[It] doesn’t mean we’re disappointed in Hooker ... 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.”
“If it comes to that, Hooker is going to play for us, but Teddy probably will, too,” Campbell said. “I understand what it looks like, but it’s just a different world that we’re getting ready to walk into. 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.”
Campbell said that once Bridgewater gets back up to speed, he will test the Detroit defense in practice. Campbell said it is important to have someone who is respected by his teammates and makes the team around him better, and pointed out that Hooker and starter Jared Goff both learned from him while he was with the Lions last season.
Campbell also praised Bridgewater’s accomplishments in just one year coaching Miami Northwestern. The Bulls finished the high school season with a 12–2 record, capping off the season with a 41-0 romp over Raines to win the FHSAA 3A State Championship. Quarterback Leon Strawder threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns, and added a rushing score. It was Miami Northwestern’s eighth state title.
Bridgewater was drafted out of Louisville by the Minnesota Vikings as the 32nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He played 12 games his rookie year, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 14 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. In 2015, he started all 16 games for the team and led the Vikings to the playoffs, though they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 10-9 in sub-zero temperatures that caused the kicker to miss what should have been an easy 27-yard game-winning field goal. In the third-coldest game in NFL history, it was reported that the kickers couldn’t feel their feet, and the holder placed the ball the wrong way.
During a pre-season practice in 2016, Bridgewater tore his ACL and dislocated his knee, with significant structural damage. Because of the severe injury, he missed the entire 2016 season and most of the 2017 season, throwing just two passes in a Week 15 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In 2018, he signed with the New York Jets as a free agent to back up rookie Sam Darnold, and was traded mid-season to the New Orleans Saints. He played for the Saints in 2019, filling in for Drew Brees, then signed a three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers in 2020. He threw for a career-high 3,733 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. After the Panthers traded for Darnold, Bridgewater was traded to the Denver Broncos in 2021 and threw for 3,000 plus yards in 14 games. He signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2022 and the Lions in 2023, serving as a backup for both teams.
