Emotional NFL head coach announces retirement of veteran quarterback: ‘He’ll be missed’

Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is stepping away from the Detroit Lions, and is likely to retire from the NFL, coach Dan Campbell said Sunday.

Bridgewater was placed on the team’s reserve/retired list Sunday, before Coach Campbell addressed his situation with reporters, paying an emotional tribute to the former Pro Bowler and the ‘heart’ he showed.

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“Teddy Bridgewater is going to step away,” Campbell said.

“I’ve known Teddy a long time and man, the human being is unbelievable.

“Certainly the player, everything that he’s about, the type of teammate he is, the way he prepares.

“He always played the game up here (with his head) and had a huge heart. He’s gonna be missed.”

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Campbell went on to recall a story from seven years ago, when the pair were with the New Orleans Saints, and Bridgewater stepped in for injured franchise icon Drew Brees.

He continued: “I’ll never forget 2019, when Drew got injured.

“We’d just gone out to the Rams, got beat out there and we lost (Brees) for five weeks. Teddy stepped in, and we won five in a row, man. That was Teddy.

“Just his time being with us (on the Lions) meant a lot, and it meant a lot to our guys. So he’s gonna be missed.”

This wouldn’t be the first time that Bridgewater has retired from the NFL.

Having made just two starts in two seasons, the 33-year-old stepped away in 2023, and became the head football coach at Miami Northwestern, his former high school.

Bridgewater led them to a state championship, and returned to the NFL a year later, rejoining the Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a backup.

While he was signed again by Detroit in the offseason, to a one-year, $1.8 million contract, Campbell believes his retirement is likely to stick this time.

Teddy Bridgewater steps away after 12-year NFL career

“I think he can only truly answer that, but I feel like this is where it’s at for sure right now,” the Lions HC told reporters.

“This is where it needs to be and where he felt. And his biggest worry was letting us down. That’s the type of guy he is.”

“That’s as far as it can get. He meant a lot.”

Bridgewater entered the NFL as the No. 32 pick of the 2014 draft, selected by the Minnesota Vikings.

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He led Minnesota to an 11-5 season, starting all 16 games, in 2015, before losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs to the Seattle Seahawks.

That was the year Bridgewater earned his Pro Bowl nod.

He suffered a horror injury on the eve of the 2016 season, and played just once more for the Vikings before departing in 2018.

The quarterback played sparsely for the Saints, before having a career resurgence with the Carolina Panthers in 2020, and the Denver Broncos in 2021.

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A few more games followed with the Miami Dolphins and the Lions, before he stepped away in 2023.

His bond with Coach Campbell is clear, but it appears a third stint with the Lions in 2026 is one too many, despite being viewed as a respected leader and mentor to younger players in the Detroit locker room.

Should he step away, Bridgewater would end his career with 15,182 yards and 75 touchdowns, with a 90.3 passer rating in 83 career games.