Teddy Bridgewater comes out of retirement to sign with the Lions

Bridgewater brings plenty of experience to the Lions, the last team he was on before deciding to retire. A former first-round pick of the Vikings, the Louisville star spent three seasons over four years in Minnesota, a place he only left after suffering an incredibly significant knee injury that cost him the entire 2016 season and only allowed him to turn back late in the 2017 campaign, his last in Minnesota.

The severity of his injury and very long road back to the field saw him revert to journeyman status over the next few years. From 2018-2022, Bridgewater made stops with the Jets, Saints, Panthers, Broncos and Dolphins before landing in Detroit in 2023.

Some might see Bridgewater’s signing as an indictment of second-year backup Hendon Hooker’s viability as a legitimate option behind Jared Goff. Campbell downplayed that narrative Thursday.

“That doesn’t mean we’re disappointed in Hooker,” he said. “That’s not what it means. It just means that this gives us a guy, someone who has played a lot in the NFL. We’re getting ready for the playoffs, so it will be good to have him back in the fold with us.”

The move is smart: If the Lions find themselves on the doorstep of the Super Bowl for the second straight season and happen to lose Goff to injury, at least they’ll have another experienced player ready to replace him in Bridgewater. That would guard against a catastrophic scenario where Detroit would be forced to insert the inexperienced Hooker into a high-stakes situation with their season and highest ambitions on the line.

“He’s improved. He really has,” Campbell said of Hooker. “We feel like every week he’s gotten a little bit better, and that doesn’t mean Hooker’s out. That’s not what it means. If it comes down to it, Hooker will play for us. But Teddy probably will too .

“I understand how it looks, but it’s just a different world that we’re getting ready to go into, and I just felt like this was the right thing to do.”

The different world Campbell is talking about is the one the Lions encountered last season when they took an early lead over the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, only to see it melt away in the final minutes. The stakes and pressure are exponentially higher in the postseason, and there’s no reason to avoid adding a veteran at the most important position if possible. As the saying goes, those who fail to prepare prepare to fail.

Bridgewater also brings another advantage to the Lions: He can push their defense in practice, which will become increasingly valuable as Detroit is forced to shuffle the pieces in response to injuries.

“When he gets his sea legs back under him, he’s going to test those guys a little bit defensively, which is good in practice,” Campbell said of Bridgewater. “I just feel like when you get guys that you want to make everybody around them a little bit better, it’s hard not to have those guys around or add them if you can.”

As Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have done since arriving in Detroit, they are making an addition they feel will benefit the Lions. In a historic season for the franchise, it’s only right.