Miami, FL: Sources confirmed this morning that former Detroit Lions Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, aka “Coach Teddy,” has come out of retirement and re-signed with the team. This would mark Bridgewater’s 10th year in the NFL and his second with the Lions.
On Dec. 14, 2024, Bridgewater led his alma mater, Miami Northwestern, nicknamed “The West”, to their eighth FHSAA Class 3A State Championship over Raines (Jacksonville) (13-1) 41-0 in his first season as the Bulls’ Head Coach.
Coach Teddy helped return The West to the top of the 305, turning the once 4-6 Bulls in 2023 to 12-2 state champions. In 10 out of their 14 games played, the Bulls had put up 40+ points, with their highest-scoring game being 69-0 against Barron Collier (Naples).
Throughout their season, the Bulls remained undefeated at home with a record of 7-0 and 4-2 away. Their only two losses were to reigning Class 7A State Champions, Venice (14-1) and Norland (Miami, FL) (9-3); both of these losses were down-to-wire losses by less than a score.
Coach Teddy was a former first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014. Coach Teddy battled adversity throughout his entire professional career, recovering from a torn ACL and a dislocated knee sustained during training camp in 2016. He spent two seasons with the New Orleans Saints (2018-19), started 29 games over 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 limited by injuries again. He signed with the Lions for his last season and appeared in one game to kneel out a victory.
Coach Teddy rejoins the Detroit Lions right before a potential deep playoff push. Lion’s head coach Dan Campbell’s squad currently sits atop the NFC at 13-2, eyeing a first-round bye. Bridgewater will be a much-needed depth piece for the Lions, backing up QB Jared Goff, who’s put up MVP-caliber numbers all season.
Detroit is currently tied for first place in the NFC alongside its division rival, the Minnesota Vikings. In order to secure the coveted first-round bye, Detroit needs to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, and the Vikings need to lose to Green Bay.
