Teddy Bridgewater has officially retired from the NFL, announcing his decision in an Instagram post on Monday. The 33-year-old quarterback stepped away from the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and while retirement was considered likely, he has now made it official.
Bridgewater cited his body's inability to recover as it once did following a devastating knee injury sustained nearly ten years ago. "It’s finally run its course and when the body speaks to me, I have to listen so that I can be in one piece and available for my children as they grow up," Bridgewater wrote. He added that the game of football "owes me nothing at all."
Selected 32nd overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2014 draft, Bridgewater became a Pro Bowler in his second season. However, his career trajectory was significantly altered by a severe leg injury during training camp in 2016. Despite predictions from "experts" that he would not play again, Bridgewater completed ten more seasons.
In recent years, Bridgewater has had a journeyman career. He briefly left the league in 2023 to coach high school football at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School, before returning in 2025 to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Notably, he led the New Orleans Saints to five consecutive wins in 2019 while Drew Brees was sidelined.
Bridgewater's NFL career concludes with 15,182 passing yards, 75 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions. He is preparing for the arrival of a new child with his long-term partner, Erika Cardona.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who has known Bridgewater since their time in New Orleans, expressed his admiration. "The human being is unbelievable," Campbell said. "Certainly the player, everything that he’s about, the type of teammate that he is, the way he prepares, always played the game up here (points to head) and had a huge heart. He’s gonna be missed."
Following Bridgewater's departure, the Lions signed Josh Dobbs to serve as backup quarterback to Jared Goff.