Teddy Bridgewater coming out of retirement to rejoin the Lions, per reports

Teddy Bridgewater is making his return to the NFL. According to multiple reports, the quarterback is coming out of retirement to join the Detroit Lions. 

The Lions were the last team he suited up for before he seemingly hung up the cleats. He played in Detroit in 2023 and joins the franchise again as it looks to make a playoff run. He appeared in just one game for the Lions last season, but did not record a pass attempt. Bridgewater, a 2014 first-round pick of the Vikings out of Louisville, also played for the Saints, Panthers, Broncos and Dolphins.

Jared Goff is Detroit’s starter and the quarterback room also includes second-year player Hendon Hooker. Former fifth-rounder Jake Fromm is the Lions’ practice squad QB.

The 32-year-old teased a return earlier this month, not long after leading his alma mater Miami Northwestern to a state title in his first year as a high school football coach. 

On Dec. 17, Bridgewater made the surprise announcement that he was actively pursuing a return to the league. 

“We’ll see how these next week-and-a-half, two weeks play out. Might be signing with a team or something and then returning back to coach high school football in February. So we’ll see.”

Just over a week later, his plans are revealed. When he first discussed coming out of retirement, he did note that it doesn’t mean he is done coaching. 

“We wanted to win a state championship and then coach goes back to the league, see what happens and then come back in February in the offseason and continue coaching high school football. So we’ll see how it plays out,” Bridgewater said. 

Bridgewater’s last starting gig came in 2022 as a member of the Dolphins, where he went 0-2 with 683 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions on the year. In his career, Bridgewater has a 33-32 starting record, while throwing for 15,120 yards, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. 

The Lions have the second-best odds of winning it all, per Caesars Sportsbook, so Bridgewater has a chance to win a Super Bowl ring and a high school championship within the same year.