Teddy Bridgewater Is Back.
He wasn’t kidding.
Teddy Bridgewater Is Back.
High school football coach Teddy Bridgewater said last month that he had the itch to return to the NFL, and after his alma mater won the Class 3A state title a couple of weeks ago, the ex-Minnesota Vikings passer is evidently on his way back to the pros — for the Detroit Lions.
NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport tweeted Thursday, about 16 days before the start of the NFL postseason: “Comeback: High school state championship-winning coach and NFL QB Teddy Bridgewater is coming out of retirement and is expected to sign with the Lions, sources tell The Insiders. Bridgewater appeared on NFL Network and revealed his plans to play again. Back to Detroit.”
The Lions employed Bridgewater last year as Jared Goff’s backup before his retirement earlier this calendar year.
Asked about a possible comeback on The Insiders eight days ago, Bridgewater replied, “That’s the plan. 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.”
Five weeks ago, Bridgewater tweeted, “So many QB jobs available for me after we make this state title run. I can’t wait to return back to the NFL 🙏🏾💯.”
The initial post caught Bridgewater fans off guard because most believed he was gone for good. He seems to love his new arrangement as the skipper of his high school team, but at the age of 32, a comeback is realistic.
Bridgewater’s alma mater, Miami Northwestern Senior High School, won the title earlier this month, stomping William Raines Senior High, 41-0. Raines was previously undefeated. Before Bridgewater took over the program this season, Northwestern showcased a 4-6 record in 2023. The ex-Viking fundamentally turned the program around in one year to the tune of a state title.
He didn’t throw a single NFL pass in 2023 before retiring in January, filling QB2 duty for Goff in Detroit. But the Lions would’ve been in safe hands had Bridgewater been called upon, classified as one of the NFL’s top QB2s. All told in Bridgewater’s starting career, teams were 33-32 (.507) on his watch.
The Miami Dolphins were Bridgewater’s previous employer before Detroit, as he served as Tua Tagovailoa’s backup in 2022. This is Bridgewater’s career resume:
- Minnesota Vikings (2014–2017)
- New York Jets (2018)
- New Orleans Saints (2018–2019)
- Carolina Panthers (2020)
- Denver Broncos (2021)
- Miami Dolphins (2022)
- Detroit Lions (2023-2024)
Minnesota chose Bridgewater in Round 1 of the 2014 NFL Draft as the then-long-term plan for the quarterback of the future. Bridgewater took over during his maiden voyage season and immediately looked the part. A season later, combined with Mike Zimmer’s flourishing defense, Minnesota won the NFC North in 2015, and life was good. But the summer of 2016 was a different story. Bridgewater suffered a horrifying knee injury right before the start of the regular season, then-GM Rick Spielman traded a 1st-Round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Sam Bradford, and Bridgewater’s career was forever changed. So was Vikings history.
Bridgewater was arguably in prime form during a couple of spots in his career. First, in 2015, he earned Pro Bowl honors in just his second campaign, guiding the Vikings to that 2015 playoff appearance that was eventually marred by a missed 27-yard game-winning field goal against the Seattle Seahawks. When he landed with the Saints, Drew Brees was hurt for multiple games in 2019 — and the Saints were undefeated to the tune of 5-0 with Bridgewater in charge. That was the second peak of his ten-season career.
His only playoff start occurred in the aforementioned 2015 season when Minnesota lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Lions employ four other former Vikings players: Abraham Beauplan (LB, PS), Marcus Davenport (DE, IR), Za’Darius Smith (DE), and Shane Zylstra (TE).
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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