10:25pm: This is an active-roster deal, Rapoport adds. Rather than take the practice squad route like so many veterans have upon signing in-season, Bridgewater will be on the Lions’ 53 immediately.
Teams also showed recent interest in the successful high school coach/part-time QB for assistant positions, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. While coaching at the NFL level may be in the experienced passer’s future, Bridgewater preferred the chance to try to win a Super Bowl as a player first.
11:37am: Teddy Bridgewater enjoyed tremendous success in his first season as a high school head coach, leading his team to a state championship. He had announced intentions to explore an NFL return, however, and a familiar team will take him up on that effort.
The Lions are bringing Bridgewater back, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo report. Bridgewater spent last season in Detroit, announcing last December would retire and pursue coaching. As the Lions attempt to reach their first Super Bowl a year later, they have secured veteran QB depth via a reunion.
This will give the Lions more familiarity, as Bridgewater rejoins a quarterback room housing Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker. Bridgewater, 32, had played ahead of Hooker during the latter’s rookie season — one spent mostly on the reserve/NFI list thanks to a college ACL tear — but the second-year passer has worked as Goff’s backup this year. Goff and Hooker are the only two QBs on Detroit’s active roster. Unless Bridgewater is joining the NFC North leaders’ practice squad, the team will carry three QBs again.
Upon retiring, Bridgewater landed an interesting gig. He became the head coach of his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High, and he led the school to a state championship. This might not be a long-term move, as Bridgewater hinted at returning to the league before potentially stepping back into the role of head coach at his former high school. It appears Bridgewater and the Lions had kept in contact, and the sides have at least agreed on a short-term partnership for a second straight year.
The Lions had initially signed Bridgewater during their 2023 training camp. They then placed Nate Sudfeld on IR, clearing the way for the veteran passer to back up Goff. Detroit did not need Bridgewater last season, as Goff continued to display durability, and has not needed Hooker to make any starts this year. During his Lions stint, Goff has only missed time due to injury in 2021. His rebound has been one of the defining NFL stories this decade, and the sides agreed on a long-term extension this offseason. Bridgewater, however, would supply experience Hooker does not.
It would stand to reason Bridgewater has kept himself in good shape during his initial stint coaching at the high school level. The former first-round pick was unable to stay healthy during his 2022 Dolphins stint, but he held up in a backup role with the Lions. Bridgewater has made 65 starts over the course of his career, one that included a recovery from a severe knee injury. The 2014 draftee has since worked as a full-time starter for the Panthers and Broncos. Two concussions ended his run in Denver; that 2021 season marked the last time Bridgewater was a starter.
Dan Campbell said during training camp Sudfeld was outperforming Hooker, but the Lions did not keep three QBs on their active roster. They instead cut Sudfeld, adding Jake Fromm to their practice squad a day later. Fromm serves as Detroit’s No. 3 quarterback; his status will be worth monitoring now that Bridgewater is back.
The Lions drafted Hooker in last year’s third round, signing off on a rehab project that included a lengthy NFI stay. Three Detroit blowouts this season gave Hooker some playing time; he has thrown nine passes after sitting last season. If Goff were to go down now, Bridgewater’s season in Ben Johnson‘s offense may well move him back into the role of the immediate backup. Two more seasons remain on Hooker’s rookie deal. While the Tennessee alum may well go back to the role of top Goff backup entering the offseason, it is certainly worth wondering if he has lost that job for the season’s remainder.
Campbell confirmed he and Bridgewater have stayed in touch, adding (via Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers) this does not mean the team has lost faith in Hooker. Having both players active sounds like it is in the cards for the Lions, with Campbell indicating the team taking advantage of the emergency QB rule in the playoffs was a factor in the Bridgewater reunion.
Awesome. I hope his players are geeked.
This is a pretty cool story.
He’s winning at life. Another nfl paycheck after leading his high school to a state championship. Good stuff
It makes a lot of sense, especially in the playoffs. More teams should take advantage of that rule after what happened to the 49ers a couple years ago.
“Fromm serves as Detroit’s No. 3 quarterback; his status will be worth monitoring now that Bridgewater is back.”
If Fromm is indeed their #3 QB, then this makes a ton of sense. Fromm might be one of the five worst QBs I’ve ever seen.
Well whoopity do Basil. Since you are not an NFL talent evaluator it does not really matter what you think.
You don’t need to be an NFL talent evaluator to know Bridgewater is better than Fromm, or that Fromm is a bad enough QB that a high school coach could take his job.
Slappy Dappy, please watch the footage from when Fromm played QB for the Giants. Your grandmother could tell he is awful.
Also since the Lions, who are talent evaluators, decided to bring in a guy off the couch to replace Fromm, it would appear that they agree with me.
Well played!
Some wild news coming from the Detroit sports teams on Boxing Day…like the Lions bring back Teddy B, Wings letting LaLonde go so hopefully the Tigers will sign Bregman and make it a trifecta for us fans in Detroit!!!!
Don’t get me wrong I understand the Lions are a contender. But if signing Bridgewater counts as exciting news in Detroit things must be much more doom and gloom there than the media portrays.
Well, as much potential as Hooker has, Detroit’s backup situation was paper thin before this. I don’t know how capable Bridgewater is right now after not playing, but it at least gives Detroit another option so they won’t have to scramble in the playoffs if their nemesis of player injury rears it’s ugly head again.
Slappy, how can you say it’s not exciting to bring back Bridgewater when you’re not an NFL talent evaluator???? I guess it does not matter what you think, right??
Someone got coal in their stocking.
So basically, if Campbell makes a couple of high school calls in the playoffs again this year, that cost the Lions a win…Teddy will take the blame 🙂
I’m a hapless Saints fan so hooray life and such, but I am very much pulling for a Lions-Bills Superbowl. That would be wonderful. There’s a solid Saints/Lions connection right now so they’re my proxy. Good story for Teddy.
Simply put, in the off chance Goff gets injured, the Lions don’t have enough faith to insert Hooker or Fromm in a playoff game.