Report: Former Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater to Retire Following 2023 Season

One of the greatest players to ever suit up for the Louisville football program will soon be calling it a career.

Former Cardinals star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who is currently serving as the backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions, plans on retiring from the NFL following the end of the 2023 season, according to the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett.

The 31-year-old quarterback has seen action in just one game for Detroit so far this season, rushing twice for negative-two yards in the Lions' Week Five matchup vs. the Carolina Panthers.

Bridgewater was selected with the No. 32 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Vikings, and spent the first four seasons of his professional career with Minnesota. After suffering a devastating non-contact knee injury in August of 2016 that would force him to miss the next year and a half, he became a free agent following the end of the 2017 season.

He spent the next two seasons with the New Orleans Saints as a backup to Drew Brees, helping the Saints clinch a playoff spot in 2019 when Brees was sidelined for five games due to an injury of his own.

Since then, he has played for a different franchise in each of the last four seasons. He signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2020 season, was traded to the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2021 season, signed with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent in 2022 to backup Tua Tagovailoa, then inked with the Lions for this season.

In 79 career games and 65 starts in the NFL, the Miami, Fla. native has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 15,120 yards and 75 touchdowns to 47 interceptions. He has also rushed for 844 yards and 11 touchdowns on 221 attempts.

Bridgewater is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the Louisville football program. In 39 career games with the Cardinals from 2011 to 2013, he completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 9,817 yards and 72 touchdowns to just 24 interceptions.

He led the UofL to a 30-9 record, including wins in the Sugar Bowl over No. 3 Florida during his sophomore year and in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Miami as a junior.