It took a lot of convincing by the Detroit Lions to get Teddy Bridgewater to play in 2023. The longtime NFL quarterback was prepared to be done playing last offseason, he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Bridgewater also told Birkett that 2023 will be his last NFL season.
“I’m just really appreciative that I’m in Year 10, I tell everyone this is my last year, so I’m in my final year and I’m just enjoying it all, man,” Bridgewater said.
It’s not a surprising development for the journeyman veteran, who has only played this year at the end of the Lions’ blowout win over the Panthers. With young Hendon Hooker now available for the future, Bridgewater has served his role as Jared Goff’s backup quite well.
While he played for the Dolphins, Bridgewater would spend time and volunteer at his high school alma mater, Northwestern HS. As Birkett notes, there is some convenience of timing here,
He plans to coach high school football next season — the head coaching job at his alma matter, Miami Northwestern, is open — and he has no interest (for now) coaching in college or the NFL (“I don’t like the hours”).
The Lions’ final regular season game is at home against the Minnesota Vikings, the team that drafted Bridgewater in the first round back in 2014. It will be interesting to see if “Teddy Two Gloves” gets any action against the team he’s most associated with.
