Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater came 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 doesn’t mean the team is disappointed with current backup quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Bridgewater said last week that he wants to return to the NFL after coaching Northwest Miami High School, his alma mater, to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A state championship earlier this month.
“My team knows that’s the plan. We want to win a state championship and then Coach comes back to the tournament, see what happens, and then come back in February after the season, continue coaching high school football. We’ll see how it goes,” 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 wants to try to win a championship as a player before taking advantage of those opportunities.
Bridgewater, 32, spent last season as the Lions’ backup quarterback behind starter Jared Goff.
Campbell said he has been in contact with Bridgewater “for a while” and re-signing him was always a possibility because of Bridgewater’s leadership and familiarity with the system. The Lions have a lot of faith in Bridgewater and have followed him throughout his high school coaching journey this year.
“He just brings a level of professionalism, a veteran presence, someone who is a great fit for our team,” Campbell said.
“That doesn’t mean we’re disappointed in Hooker. That doesn’t mean anything. It just means this gives us someone who’s played a lot in the NFL. We’re getting ready for the playoffs, so it’s good to have him back in the group with us.”
The Lions have continued to develop Hooker, who has “improved,” Campbell said. Hooker learned his lesson 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 felt the addition of Bridgewater was “fantastic” for the team, not just on the field but in practice, with his friendly demeanor and years of experience fitting in well with the players.
“This doesn’t mean Hooker is out. This doesn’t mean anything. If it comes down to it, Hooker will 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 go into and we feel like this is 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 opponents 262-12 in five playoff games. It ended the season on a 10-game winning streak.
A first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014, Bridgewater had his career nearly derailed by a torn ACL and dislocated knee in 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 in 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 again limited by injury. He then signed with the Lions in his final season and appeared in one game in a win.
