There are a lot of former quarterbacks that have had a strange journey in their NFL career, but few have walked the path that Teddy Bridgewater has been on. A former first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, Bridgewater’s career was altered by a career-threatening injury in 2016 but returned to play a total of 10 seasons with the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins.
The final stop on the tour appeared to be the Detroit Lions as Bridgewater retired following the 2023 season and returned late last year and even took snaps in January’s playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. But just as it seemed that Bridgewater’s career was riding into the sunset, he’s joining an NFC rival after his new job went awry.
Veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater is visiting Tampa today, and is expected to sign with the Buccaneers, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 5, 2025
The Buccaneers will be Bridgewater’s 8th NFL team, and his third NFC South team to go along with the Saints and Panthers. pic.twitter.com/nOEgJOx2xh
Teddy Bridgewater Reportedly Signing With Buccaneers After High School Coaching Suspension
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bridgewater is reportedly signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs will be his sixth NFL team and the decision comes after his planned high school coaching career came to a premature end.
Bridgewater originally retired after the 2023 season to become the head football coach at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School. While his tenure led the Bulls to a Florida Class 3A state championship, he was suspended after providing impermissible benefits to his players.
The 32-year-old self-reported the violations in a Facebook post on July 7 where he revealed he paid for Uber rides, meals and recovery services for his players out of his own pocket last season. While he asked fans to donate and cover those expenses this year, the Florida High School Athletic Association stepped in and Bridgewater was suspended as head coach.
Instead of waiting for the FHSAA to complete its investigation, Bridgewater has reportedly chosen to return to the NFL. The Buccaneers will have Baker Mayfield return as their starting quarterback in 2025 but had questions behind him with Kyle Trask, Michael Pratt and Connor Bazelak on the roster.
Bridgewater owns a 33-32 career record as a starter, completing 66.4% of his passes for 15,120 yards, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. He also hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular season game since 2022, but will look to provide leadership and a sturdy backup plan for the Buccaneers.
That may not be enough to overtake the Lions if Mayfield were to go down with an injury. But Bridgewater is making the best out of a bad situation and returning for one more year.