Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Teddy Bridgewater retires from NFL again; Lions seek backup quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater is a football player whose job is to throw the ball — a quarterback.
He has decided to stop playing football again, and this time it seems like it is for good.
He is 33 years old and played in the NFL for 11 years.
He was on a team called the Detroit Lions, and now they have to find a new backup quarterback.
A backup quarterback is a player who steps in when the main quarterback, Jared Goff, cannot play.
Teddy retired once before in 2023, but he came back to play again.
In 2016, he hurt his knee very badly in practice, but he worked hard to come back to football.
In 2019, he helped the New Orleans Saints win five games in a row when their star quarterback was hurt.
His coach, Dan Campbell, says Teddy is a great person and teammate who will be missed.
Teddy Bridgewater announced his retirement from the NFL on Sunday and was placed on the Detroit Lions' reserve/retired list weeks into training camp.
The 33-year-old's decision ends an 11-year career that took him from first-round pick to reliable journeyman.
This is Bridgewater's second retirement; he first stepped away after the 2023 season, returned, spent 2025 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and rejoined Detroit this offseason.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell praised Bridgewater as a teammate and leader, recalling how Bridgewater won five straight starts in 2019 when Drew Brees was injured with New Orleans.
Bridgewater was drafted by Minnesota in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, suffered a severe knee injury in 2016, signed a three-year, $63 million contract with Carolina in 2020, and was traded to Denver in 2021.
- Who
- Teddy Bridgewater, 33-year-old veteran quarterback, and the Detroit Lions, who must now find a new backup behind starter Jared Goff.
- What
- Bridgewater announced his retirement from the NFL and was placed on the reserve/retired list.
- When
- Sunday, weeks into Detroit's training camp.
- Where
- With the Detroit Lions' organization.
- Why
- No specific reason was given in the article; the move, which is Bridgewater's second retirement, appears permanent.
- Age
- 33
- Career length
- 11 years in the NFL
- Draft
- First-round pick, Minnesota Vikings, 2014
- Major injury
- 2016 knee dislocation and torn ACL in practice
- 2019 Saints stretch
- Five starts, 1,205 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs, 69.7% completion, 5-0 record
- 2020 Panthers contract
- Three years, $63 million
- 2025 team
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Prior retirement
- First retired after the 2023 season with Detroit