By Colton Pouncy and Alex Andrejev

Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will leave his job as a high school national championship coach and return to the NFL. He is coming out of retirement and has signed with the Detroit Lions, head coach Dan Campbell confirmed Thursday.

Campbell said he had been talking to Bridgewater for several weeks. The Lions coach also said Bridgewater has stayed in shape and will be great for the team.

“It just brings a certain level of professionalism. … It will be good to get him back in the squad,” Campbell said during a news conference Thursday.

Bridgewater, who last played in the league for the Lions in 2023, told NFL Network last week that he may sign with a team and then return to coaching at Northwestern Senior High School in Miami, Florida, after the NFL season. , his alma mater.

Bridgewater, 32, became the football program’s coach in February and led the team to a Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A state championship earlier this month in his first season on the job.

“My team knows that’s the plan,” Bridgewater told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport on “The Insiders.” “We wanted to win a state championship and then coach goes back to the league, sees what happens and then comes back in February in the offseason and continues to coach high school football.”

Campbell pointed out that Bridgewater’s return doesn’t mean the team is unhappy with the development of second-year QB Hendon Hooker, who served as Jared Goff’s backup this season.

“He’s really improved,” Campbell said of Hooker. “We feel like he’s getting a little better every week. That doesn’t mean Hooker is out. That’s not what this means. If it comes to that, Hooker will play for us. But Teddy probably will too. So I understand what it looks like, but it’s just a different world that we want to enter and we felt like this was the right thing to do, especially with someone that I have a tremendous amount of trust in. He understands our offense well, the guys know him well, the coaches know him well and he brings us a level of comfort.”

Bridgewater retired after the 2023 season after spending a decade in the league in which he played for six teams, including one season as a reserve player with the Detroit Lions. Bridgewater, the No. 32 pick in the 2014 draft, began his career with the Minnesota Vikings before playing with the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Lions.

He started in 65 of the 79 games in which he appeared, throwing for 15,120 yards and 75 touchdowns with 47 interceptions and recording a 66.4 percent completion rate.

What Bridgewater brings to Detroit

When Bridgewater signed with the Lions last August, he offered them a reliable veteran backup behind Goff. Although he was never needed in big moments, he brought a calming presence and added football spirit to the room. He told reporters at the end of the 2023 season that it would be his last and that he would retire to coach high school football at his alma mater. Now he’s back after leading the school to a state championship.

Bridgewater’s biggest contribution to the Lions last year may have come off the field. Coaches rave about his ability to mentor young players and be a resource for them. Wide receiver Jameson Williams and Hooker in particular praised Bridgewater for helping them get ready for the 2023 season. Williams is now approaching his first 1,000-yard season (890 yards) and Hooker – who lived with Bridgewater this offseason – began the year as Detroit’s No. 2 QB after showing flashes in the preseason.

With this move, Detroit adds another QB who knows the system ahead of a playoff run, and Bridgewater now has a chance to win a ring. Good fit for everyone involved. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer

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(Photo: Ryan Kang/Getty Images)