Detroit Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater waves to fans during warmups before the Denver Broncos game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on Tuesday to add experience behind starter Baker Mayfield.
Bridgewater, 32, recently vacated his position as head football coach at Miami’s Northwestern High School after being suspended for allegedly providing impermissible benefits to his players.
Bridgewater was on the Detroit Lions’ roster last December as a backup to Jared Goff but has not thrown a pass in the regular season since the 2022 season with the Miami Dolphins.
He adds depth behind Mayfield, who missed multiple days last week with a bruised right hand. Backup Michael Pratt has been out with a back injury. Kyle Trask and undrafted rookie Connor Bazelak also are on the training camp roster.
“He brings us a wealth of experience at that spot. Obviously we don’t have it,” head coach Todd Bowles said of Bridgewater. “Kyle’s been here a few years but he hasn’t really played and obviously we have a new guy that’s coming in, so we need the extra arm. We need some experience in that room, and the more experience the better.”
Last season with Detroit, Bridgewater completed his only pass for 3 yards in the Lions’ divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders.
In 10 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2014-15, 2017), New Orleans Saints (2018-19), Carolina Panthers (2020), Denver Broncos (2021), Miami Dolphins (2022) and Detroit (2023-24), Bridgewater completed 1,372 of 2,067 passes (66.4 percent) for 15,120 yards with 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. He added 844 rushing yards and 11 scores on the ground.
Bridgewater was named to the Pro Bowl in his second season after starting all 16 games for the Vikings and leading them to an 11-5 record.
In Tampa, he will be reunited with his former Louisville head coach Charlie Strong, now the defensive line coach for the Bucs. Bridgewater also was a high school teammate of linebacker Lavonte David at Miami Northwestern.
Bridgewater retired after a decade in the NFL and took over as the head coach at his alma mater in 2024, leading the program to a state championship in his first season. After his suspension last month, he posted on social media that he had self-reported paying for players’ Uber rides, meals and recovery services.
–Field Level Media
