Getty Former Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater may have retired this year to coach his high school alma mater, but it’s clear the former first-round pick is getting the itch to return to the NFL.
Focused on leading Miami Northwestern to a Florida state title after the team went 4-6 a year ago, Bridgewater led the Bulls to a 69-0 win in the first round of the playoffs last week.
But once the season is over, Bridgewater looks to turn his attention toward returning to the NFL in 2025 — describing his return with just two words: “unfinished business.”
“So many QB jobs available for me after we make this state title run,” Bridgewater wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “I can’t wait to return back to the NFL.”
Bridgewater, 32, later shared his post on Instagram, adding, “gotta be where your feet are at all times but Lord knows – there’s some unfinished business.”
Former #Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater calling his shot at returning to the #NFL
Teddy Bridgewater Spent 2023 Season With Lions Before Retirement
GettyTeddy Bridgewater before a game with the Detroit Lions in 2023.
Selected 32nd overall in 2014, Bridgewater earned Pro Bowl honors, leading the Vikings to a playoff berth during the 2015 season after the franchise’s future was in question in the post-Favre era.
However, a freak leg injury derailed his career the following offseason, leading to a two-year recovery for the Miami, Florida native. Bridgewater was released in 2018 but overcame the injury to play six more seasons.
In 2019, Bridgewater went 5-0 with the New Orleans Saints when Drew Brees went down with a thumb injury. That run revitalized Bridgewater’s career, as he went on to start 31 more games in stints with the Carolina Panthers (2020), Denver Broncos (2021) and Miami Dolphins (2022).
Bridgewater joined the Detroit Lions last season as a backup to Jared Goff before retiring.
“When I got hurt I realized that I’m only a football player for three hours on a Sunday afternoon,” Bridgewater told the Detroit Free Press, reflecting on his NFL journey after nearly losing his leg.
“Outside of that, I’m Theodore Bridgewater, so it just put everything into perspective and it really helped me not even have to think about not being a starter (anymore). It’s like, ‘Man, I still got purpose.’ And my purpose is bigger than the game of football. Football is just a platform that I have,” Bridgewater said.
Vikings Have QB Needs Bridgewater Could Fill in 2025
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Bridgewater’s time away from the NFL likely put into perspective the opportunities he still has in the league, including the Vikings.
With J.J. McCarthy the only quarterback under contract in 2025, Minnesota needs to reload the quarterback room with talent and good teammates who can uplift the young quarterback.
Bridgewater could be an asset in the classroom for McCarthy and could operate the offense in Kevin O’Connell‘s scheme. He’d have a hard case to contend for a starting job after taking a year off, but he could get his start by serving as a backup in Minnesota.
Sam Darnold has proven that the Vikings have an ideal environment to cultivate quarterback growth, and Bridgewater could be a part of that.
Trevor Squire is a sports journalist covering the NFL and NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks. Trevor studied journalism at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, making stops at the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @trevordsquire. More about Trevor Squire
