Teddy Bridgewater agrees to deal with NFC playoff team

Teddy Bridgewater is making yet another return to the NFL.

Bridgewater visited with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday with the intention of signing a contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

News surfaced on Monday that Bridgewater was planning to pursue another NFL comeback in the wake of his suspension from his position as the head coach at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Miami, Fla., which is his alma mater. Bridgewater was suspended last month amid an investigation after the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) began looking into the possibility of him providing impermissible benefits to players.

The investigation seemed to stem from a social media post in which Bridgewater indicated he covered expenses for players that included $2,200 a week for pregame meals and $700 for Uber rides.

Bridgewater last played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions. The 32-year-old first signed with the team in 2023 and spent that season as a backup behind Jared Goff. He then left to coach high school football and rejoined the Lions last December ahead of the playoffs.

Bridgewater was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round out of Louisville in 2014. He started right away and made the Pro Bowl in his second season in 2015. Bridgewater then suffered a devastating knee injury during practice ahead of the 2016 season. He missed nearly two full seasons and was never the same after that.

After spending his first four seasons with the Vikings, Bridgewater had brief stints with the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Lions. The last significant role he played for a team was when he started 14 games for Denver in 2021.

Bridgewater will compete for a backup job behind Baker Mayfield with the Buccaneers.