Teddy Bridgewater is looking to win two championships this season.
After leading Miami Northwestern high school to a Florida state championship as their head coach, the former first-round pick is coming out of retirement to join the Lions for the rest of the season.
Bridgewater, who will back up Jared Goff, was with the team last year but did not attempt a pass.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Thursday he had been in contact with Bridgewater “for a while” and that a reunion was always a possibility.
“It just brings a level of professionalism, veteran presence, somebody that’s great for our team, he’s great for the position,” Campbell said.
After winning the state title, Bridgewater told NFL Network that he would be looking to return to the NFL to close the season, but his primary focus was on his alma mater.
“We’ll see how [the] next week and a half, two weeks play out, might be signing with a team or something,” Bridgewater said on Dec. 18. “And then returning back to coach high school football in February. So, we’ll see.”
The Lions posted a congratulatory message on social media to Bridgewater for winning a high school state championship as a first-year head coach, foreshadowing the potential move to bring him back to the Midwest.
Still just 32, Bridgewater once looked like he could be on a path to stardom but had dealt with an abundance of injuries throughout his career that eventually limited his mobility and made him less effective than expected as a first-round pick from Louisville.
Bridgewater was given some game action for the Dolphins in 2022, filling in for Tua Tagovailoa, but it was mostly an ineffective stint.
He’s played for six different teams, including five teams in five years, as a stop-gap and plug-in backup.
The Lions have been active in fortifying their roster while they attempt to secure the NFC’s top seed.
The Lions have lost star edge rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, running back David Montgomery and starting linebackers Alex Anzalone and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, among others.
They’ve attempted to replace that talent by bringing in ex-Jets safety Jamal Adams from free agency and trading for EDGE rusher Za’Darius Smith.
