The Detroit Lions need all hands on deck ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Detroit missed the playoffs in 2025 and will do everything in their power to avoid a repeat this fall. Now the Lions need to add a new backup quarterback behind Jared Goff after the team’s latest announcement.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced on Sunday that QB Teddy Bridgewater is stepping away from football, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Detroit plans to work out a few veteran quarterbacks as they look for a new QB2 behind Goff.
“Teddy Bridgewater is going to step away,” Campbell told reporters on Sunday. “I’ve known Teddy a long time and the human being is unbelievable, certainly the player. Everything that he’s about, the type of teammate he is, the way he prepares. Always played the game up here and had a huge heart. He’s going to be missed.”
Bridgewater rejoined the Lions this offseason after serving as a backup during the 2024 season. He spent part of the 2025 season with the Buccaneers.
Campbell shared an anecdote about Bridgewater from their shared time in New Orleans. His story illustrated how Bridgewater was the ideal backup quarterback throughout his career.
“I’ll never forget in 2019 when Drew [Brees] got injured. We had just gone out to the Rams, got beat out there and Drew got his thumb, we lost him for five weeks,” Campbell explained. “Teddy stepped in and we won five in a row. That was Teddy. And then just his time being with us meant a lot to our guys. So he’s going to be missed.”
The 33-year-old quarterback is clearly thinking about retirement, though he has yet to officially announce his retirement from the NFL.
Perhaps Bridgewater will go back to coaching high school football now that his time in the NFL appears to be over.
The Detroit Lions need all hands on deck ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Detroit missed the playoffs in 2025 and will do everything in their power to avoid a repeat this fall. Now the Lions need to add a new backup quarterback behind Jared Goff after the team’s latest announcement.