Teddy Bridgewater is leaving the Lions again, and this time he might be retiring from the NFL for good.
The 33-year-old quarterback, who reunited with the Lions as a free agent in March after spending last season with the Buccaneers, is stepping away from the team, head coach Dan Campbell revealed Sunday, and retirement is “likely,” according to NFL Network.
“I’ve known Teddy a long time, and man, the human being is unbelievable,” Campbell told reporters. “Certainly the player, everything that he’s about, the type of teammate that he is, the way he prepares, always played the game up here (points to head) and had a huge heart. He’s gonna be missed.”
Undrafted rookie free-agent signing Luke Altmyer is now the backup to Jared Goff, though Campbell said the Lions could add a veteran quarterback as soon as Monday.
Bridgewater first joined the Lions in 2023 and retired at the end of that season, becoming a high school coach in Miami.
He would re-sign with the Lions in 2024 the day after Christmas and made a brief appearance during a playoff game.
A first-round pick by the Vikings in 2014, Bridgewater was a Pro Bowler in his second season but suffered a brutal leg injury during camp in 2016 and became a journeyman, which included a brief preseason run with the Jets in 2018 before he was traded to the Saints.
New Orleans is where Bridgewater met Campbell, who at the time was the team’s tight ends coach.
Bridgewater famously led the Saints to five straight wins during the 2019 season while Drew Brees was out with a thumb injury.
Bridgewater was the starter for the Panthers in 2020 and the Broncos in 2021.
He became the Dolphins’ backup in 2022 before joining the Lions in 2023.
He completed 8 of 15 passes for 62 yards across four appearances for the Buccaneers last season.
If Bridgewater’s career is done, he finishes with 15,182 yards passing, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
