Detroit Lions signing veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater, per sources

Longtime NFL quarterback and free agent Teddy Bridgewater has signed with the Detroit Lions, per multiple sources.

The deal is expected to be finalized this week, according to ESPN.

The news comes shortly after Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who previously spent time with Bridgewater in New Orleans, said that he was "all for" bringing in the veteran QB to add some "competition to the room." 

The signing reunites Bridgewater and Campbell, who was an assistant and tight ends coach with the Saints from 2016-20. Bridgewater went 5-0 as a starter in relief of Drew Brees in 2019, throwing for 1,384 yards alongside two touchdowns.

That showing earned him a starting gig with Carolina the following season, and though he put up decent numbers (3,733 yards and 15 TDs on a 67.9 completion percentage), he went just 4-11. He started 14 games the next season as a Bronco, sporting a 7-7 record while throwing for 3,052 yards (66.9 completion percentage), 18 TDs and seven interceptions.

Bridgewater played sporadically as a backup to Miami's Tua Tagovailoa last season on a one-year, $6.5 million deal. He ended up filling in for an injured Tagovailoa on multiple occasions, although his two starts were both cut short due to his own injuries — one that landed him in concussion protocol and another to the pinkie finger on his throwing hand.

Bridgewater's signing with Detroit marks his fourth team in four seasons. He has a 33-32 overall record as a starter, having thrown for 15,120 yards, 75 TDs and 47 INTs. The 2014 first-round pick began his career with Minnesota, spending his first three seasons there.