Teddy Bridgewater’s journey in the NFL as a player is not yet over. The former NFL draft first-round pick has come out of retirement to return to the Detroit Lions, the last team he played for in the pros before announcing his retirement in 2023.
Bridgewater’s NFL comeback is a welcome development for Detroit starting quarterback Jared Goff, who had nothing but great words about the former Louisville Cardinals star signal-caller.
“He’s a valuable asset to our team and I love having him in the QB room and he’s great to have around,” Goff told reporters on Thursday (via Eric Woodyard of ESPN).
In talking about Bridgewater, Goff also referred to Bridgewater as “State Champ,” which was a nod to Bridgewater recently leading the Miami Northwestern high school to a Florida state championship as the team’s head coach.
Now, Bridgewater has a chance to win the biggest award in all of football — the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Goff will continue to be the starter under center for the Lions, while Bridgewater provides some insurance in Detroit’s QB depth, which also features former Tennessee Volunteers star Hendon Hooker.
Teddy Bridgewater gives Lions extra QB depth
Bridgewater, who turned 32 years old in November, started his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2014 and became a Pro Bowler the following year when he put up a QB record of 11-5-0 while racking up 3,231 passing yards and 14 touchdowns against nine interceptions on a 65.3 percent completion rate.
Injuries have prevented Bridgewater from reaching his full potential in the NFL, where he also suited up for the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins.
Perhaps not many remember Bridgewater being a part of the Lions in the 2023 NFL season, as he only appeared in one game during that campaign. But his familiarity with the Lions players and Dan Campbell’s system is seemingly being valued by Detroit, which is carrying a 13-2 record into Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season. Detroit will take on the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara this coming Sunday before closing out its regular-season schedule with a home game versus the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17.
Detroit’s offense has been one of the best in the league today. In fact, the Lions pace the rest of the NFL with 32.9 points per game. They are also second overall in terms of total offense, with Detroit averaging 408.6 yards from scrimmage per outing.
