Teddy Bridgewater has confirmed this time, it’s it.
The 33-year-old quarterback announced via an Instagram post Monday that he is leaving the NFL for good after he stepped away from Lions on Sunday.
“This time it’s official 😭,” he wrote in the Instagram caption. “It’s so crazy 10 years ago around this time, I suffered one of the most gruesome knee injuries the game itself, it’s players and some doctors had ever seen. Everything football related since 2016 had been fueled by the “experts” predicting that I would never play football again. We really showed them by playing 10 more seasons! However, this wheel of mine can no longer deal with something so simple as standing around on the turf field. This thing just doesn’t recover the same way it did years ago so I rather officially hang it up.
“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. The game of football was beyond great to me and owes me nothing at all. I really did things my way Lol.”
On Sunday when Bridgewater stepped away from the sport, NFL Network reported retirement is “likely.” The Lions have since signed Josh Dobbs to a one-year deal to be the backup for Jared Goff.
Bridgewater, who started his career after he was selected 32nd overall by the Vikings in the 2014 draft, was a Pro Bowler in Minnesota in his second season before he suffered a serious leg injury during training camp in 2016.
Since then, he has been a journeyman and in the later years, he has kept fans guessing of his intentions after he briefly left the league in 2023 to coach high school football at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School.
Yet, he came back in 2025 and spent time with the Buccaneers behind Baker Mayfield. He played four games and threw for 62 yards.
Bridgewater notably led the Saints to five straight wins during the 2019 season as Drew Brees was sidelined with a thumb injury.
He has now finished his career with 15,182 yards passing, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
Bridgewater enters his retirement alongside long-term partner Erika Cardona, with whom he shares a son with, and the couple has another baby on the way.
“Just like one part of my career was fueled by a series of events, this next chapter of my life will be fueled with an abundance of love by this sweet little angel of ours that’s coming in a couple of weeks🙏🏾🩷🌸 #TAB. (I’ll post some football pics one of these days 🤣). Corey I’m finally giving you my helmet 😭😭😭.”
On Sunday, head coach Dan Campbell said some words about Bridgewater, whom he has known since their days in New Orleans.
“I’ve known Teddy a long time, and man, 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.”
