AN NFL veteran has shockingly come out of retirement for the second time.
After retiring from the NFL in 2023 to pursue coaching, Teddy Bridgewater has returned to the league twice.
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In 2023, Bridgewater served as the backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions.
However, following that season he left the league to become a high school football coach at Miami Northwestern.
He immediately won a state championship in his first season as a coach before getting the call back into the NFL.
Bridgewater rejoined the Lions to serve as their backup in the NFL playoffs.
He completed one pass attempt in the team’s divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders.
It appeared set that Bridgewater would return to coaching in 2025, but he pulled a 180 and has signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The move is to bolster a quarterback room that is particularly weak behind starter Baker Mayfield.
General Manager Jason Licht confirmed the signing of Bridgewater on Tuesday.
“A few years ago he was what was behind ‘Door No. 2,'” Licht said.
“We talked about that today on the sidelines. So we ended up with Tom Brady, but now we have Teddy on the roster, so you can’t have everything at once.
“You can have everything, just not all at once.”
Bridgewater was out on the practice field on Tuesday, and head coach Todd Bowles was already impressed with him.
“He brings us a wealth of experience at that spot,” Bowles said.
“Obviously, we don’t have it. Kyle [Trask] has been here a few years, but he hasn’t really played.
“Obviously, we have the new guy (Connor Bazelak) just coming in. So, we need the extra arm.
NFL important dates 2025 season
March 12 – Free Agency begins
April 24-26 – NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin
September 4 – 2025 season opener (TBC vs Eagles)
November 27 – Thanksgiving Day triple header
January 4, 2026 – End of regular-season
February 8, 2026 – Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
“We think we need some experience in that room – the more experience, the better.”
Right now, Kyle Trask is set to be the Buccaneers backup quarterback, but anything is possible after preseason games, according to Licht.
“We still have preseason games to play and all that, but right now Kyle is our backup,” Licht said.
“That’s the intention and that’s what we’re hoping for. But yeah, everybody’s competing.”
Bridgewater has played 10 seasons in the NFL, splitting his time between the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and Lions.