The Detroit Lions officially signed an experienced and familiar quarterback to back up starter Jared Goff this week.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers backu (Shop KU)p and journeyman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater returns to Detroit after a season away. Bridgewater, who has $64 million in career earnings as a former first-round draft pick, played two seasons for the Lions as a backup in 2023 and 2024.
After a stellar career at Louisville between 2011 and 2013, the Minnesota Vikings took Bridgewater with the 32nd pick in the 2014 draft. Bridgewater emerged as a quality starter before a gruesome knee injury sidelined him for all of 2016 and nearly all of 2017.
Minnesota moved on from Bridgewater, but he found chances to start with the New Orleans Saints as a backup in 2018 and 2019 when former starter Drew Brees went down. Bridgewater then started for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and the Denver Broncos in 2021.
He then backed up Tua Tagovailoa with the Miami Dolphins in 2022 before going to the Lions in 2023. Bridgewater then coached high school football at Miami Northwestern in 2025, but resigned and joined the Buccaneers.
In Tampa, Bridgewater appeared in four games and went 8-15 passing for 62 yards in relief of starter Baker Mayfield. Bridgewater last started a game in 2022 for the Dolphins when he made two starts in relief of Tagovailoa.
During his first Lions stint, Bridgewater appeared in one game in 2023 but didn't throw a pass. Fortunately for Detroit, Goff has remained durable, starting 17 games in each of the past four seasons.
Bridgewater joins a quarterback room with Goff, and the Lions could add more with just two quarterbacks on the depth chart. With Bridgewater gone from Tampa, the Buccaneers have backups Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak behind Mayfield.
For his career, Bridgewater has 15,182 yards passing for 75 touchdowns versus 47 interceptions in 83 games and 65 starts.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.