Teddy Bridgewater’s remarkable return from high school coach to NFL QB again

On By Littum

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ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Of all the feedback Teddy Bridgewater has been getting since coming out of retirement last month to rejoin Detroit Lionsthere is nothing like the reaction he has gotten from his children.

The kids would be the players at Miami Northwestern High School that Bridgewater, 32, recently coached to a Class 3A state championship in his debut season at his alma mater.

Seeing their head coach back in the NFL — the Lions added the veteran as a backup quarterback for their playoff run — adds another layer to the connection.

“They love it,” Bridgewater told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s good feedback. Especially now that the kids I coached can go to college and tell the stories about how cool Teddy Bridgewater was. They can get some ‘cool points.'”

Sitting at a card table in the Lions locker room after practice, Bridgewater had just finished a FaceTime chat with one of his children, DeAngelo Thompson, a defensive end who is an early enrollee at Syracuse. The exchange included a bit of show-and-tell.

“I was just talking to him and he showed the camera to one of his teammates who is also an early enrollee and he says, ‘Look, that’s my coach right here!’ ” Bridgewater added.

No, it’s not every day that a high school coach doubles as an NFL quarterback. Although he “retired” from the NFL after last season, he maintains that his plan all along was to return later this season because he was still able to play. So he stayed in shape and kept his pitching arm sharp while coaching the kids. Detroit brought him back before Week 17.

Who does it?

“Just the guy you’re talking to,” Jared Goff, the Lions’ starting quarterback, chimed in from his corner locker. “He’s the first ever. Coach Teddy.”

It is unknown if Bridgewater is actually the first, but he is undoubtedly unique. No doubt he is the most interesting backup quarterback in the NFL playoffs. Weeks after finishing with a state crown, the man who was named Florida’s Coach of the Year is chasing another championship. It’s another compelling chapter in Bridgewater’s extraordinary journey. He has had stints with six NFL teams since the Minnesota Vikings drafted him in the first round out of Louisville in 2014. He came back from a gruesome knee injury in 2017 that threatened his career. In 2018, he filled in for an injured Drew Brees and won all five of his starts for the New Orleans Saints — when Lions coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn were members of Sean Payton’s staff.

Mention Campbell and Glenn and Bridgewater frowns. They are significant reasons attached to his return at this critical time.

“Those are my dogs, man!” Bridgewater said. “Dan has been a gangster since he was in the tight end room with the Saints and before that with all the other places he’s been. And those two guys, we all have the same mentor.”

That would be Bill Parcells, the Hall of Fame coach who lives in Florida. Bridgewater connected with Parcells through Abram Elam, a close adviser who is also close to the coach he played for. Elam made the introduction as Bridgewater went through the draft process.

“If Parcells likes you, you might be a decent person,” Bridgewater said. “I always kept in touch with him throughout my career. I’m glad to have a guy like him in my corner.

“Parcells is a real G, man,” Bridgewater added, using the slang term for ‘gangster.’ “I love him. How supportive he’s been. He’s always straight with you. He’s not going to sugar coat it.”

The same goes for Campbell and Glenn. Straight shooters. Of course, Bridgewater incorporated elements of their methods when he began his coaching career. But he also recognizes where to draw the line.

“Yes, there are some things,” he said. “Still, you’re not dealing with adults. The way they act towards us, I can’t really go around kids acting like that. They’re not as mature as this locker room.”

Just as he planned to return to the NFL this season for a playoff run, years ago he envisioned returning to coach at his alma mater. He said it fulfills a promise to his challenged community, where he is also revered as the NFL player who routinely stayed connected. Bridgewater is the man who would pull up unannounced in a U-Haul truck and give away toys, clothes, food and other essentials. Coaching is another way to give back.

“I was once in the locker room that I train in,” said Bridgewater, who was raised by a single mother, Rose. “I know the level of maturity that I had when I was 14, 15, 16, 17. And I knew I still needed to grow up a little bit. I had some good coaches, but if I had other comprehensive male figures in my life, I would have been even more mature. So I approach them from that aspect. Because, honestly, I’m trying to help these kids get past Miami, get out of town.”

As much as the Lions have added a layer of insurance (Campbell has not revealed whether Bridgewater will replace Hendon Hooker as the No. 2 quarterback or remain as an emergency No. 3 option for the playoffs), there is the added value of his presence in the locker room. As with the kids, Bridgewater sees his purpose as an influence that goes beyond football.

“Those kids have untapped potential,” Bridgewater said, “I’m positioned in their lives to help them tap into that source, to help them go far. It’s the same in his locker room. Not everybody is a superstar . Not everyone is a true pro. So I still find myself stepping in with some of these young guys and helping them find that stability in this league.”

He is expressing interest in third-year receiver Jameson Williams, who just produced his first 1,000-yard season — on the fewest receptions of any 1,000-yard receiver this season, Bridgewater noted in a recent social media post — but already has been suspended twice by the NFL for off-field issues. Bridgewater told Williams how he watched former Vikings teammate Stefon Diggs work and master the details to rise from a fifth-round pick to become an All-Pro.

“It’s just so many things you see in a Jameson Williams who has all the potential in the world,” Bridgewater said.

His message to Williams: “Stef did it this way. You’re not Stef – that’s another matter of ever playing – but if you do it this way, I promise you you can have the same success and be a star in this league.”

There is no doubt that there are younger teammates willing to heed the vet’s advice. Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold told Bridgewater he wanted to “give him his flowers now” as a memory stick from watching him star in college.

“I’ll never forget when he played at Louisville, he got his helmet knocked off and he got up smiling,” Arnold recalled. “It’s kind of a testament to all the trials and tribulations he’s had. He just faces them with a clear head…

Arnold added: “Even if he just came into the locker room and had that old school vibe and is a mentor, he’s a great guy to be around.”

Despite all this, the competitive spirit still burns at Bridgewater. Of course, the top-seeded Lions brought him back as insurance, and if his impact is primarily in a supporting role behind the scenes, including in practice, it would be significant.

Still, winning is clearly important. It’s evident as he reflects on guiding the kids to the state crown with a 12-2 record.

“That was all,” Bridgewater said. “You’re dealing with so much hate that you have to exclude from people who watched you grow up. You’re dealing with so many hidden agendas. So many people who want to see you fail. It’s a bunch of crabs in a bucket.”

He talks about doubters, people who questioned why he got the high school job in the first place and piled on negativity after a couple of close, early-season losses.

“So to have the type of success we had as a team, it’s the ultimate ‘F— you’ for anyone who had anything negative to say or was hoping for things to fall apart,” he said. “Now my kids are going to walk around like champions. Like I told everybody, when you see those kids, address them like champions.”

Now the coach is positioned to make it a double crown, so to speak. He hopes this comeback ends in the winner’s circle of Super Bowl 59, in New Orleans of all places.

“New Orleans is my second home,” he said. “They love me down there. I won five games for them, you know.

And maybe soon they too can talk about Bridgewater as a champion – in more ways than one.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell on X, @JarrettBell