With the 2024 offseason looming, here is the master list of the Detroit Lions unrestricted free agents
The Detroit Lions had an impressive season, coming within one game of a Super Bowl berth despite their loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Looking ahead, the future seems promising for the Lions.
GM Brad Holmes and Coach Dan Campbell are likely already diligently evaluating the roster, identifying areas for improvement to overcome the challenges. From a personal perspective, they should have the trust of the fanbase to execute the necessary moves. As they enter the offseason, the Lions possess $58.6 million in cap space, ranking sixth in the NFL according to Over the Cap. This substantial amount will likely be essential to bolster the roster, especially with only 38 players currently under contract for the upcoming season.
Certain players demonstrated their value this season, earning a return to the roster, while others failed to meet expectations. The decisions on who to retain and who to release will be intriguing. Here’s the comprehensive list of the Lions’ unrestricted free agents.
NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is set to retire and become a high school coach.
Perhaps the most underrated quarterback of his generation, Teddy Bridgewater is retiring from the NFL. Next for Bridgewater? High school football coaching.
The quarterback indicated last month that he plans to return to Miami and coach high school football. He does so with a wealth of knowledge and experience at the NFL and college levels.
Last season, Bridgewater was a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions. His final game as an NFL player will have been Sunday’s loss in the NFC Championship Game to the San Francisco 49ers.
In college, he was a standout at Louisville who earned legendary status for his performance at Rutgers. In the final game of the 2012 season, he gutted through a leg injury to earn Louisville the Big East title (well, technically, a share of the Big East title).
The Cardinals went on to the Sugar Bowl where they upset Florida.
From Teddy Bridgewater to Stefon Diggs, there are 11 former Minnesota Vikings with a chance to win the Super Bowl
After a successful wild card weekend in the National Football League, the playoff bracket is down to eight teams and leaves some really tasty matchups.
Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens
Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills
If you need a rooting interest for the divisional round and beyond, there are still 11 former Minnesota Vikings with a chance to win the Super Bowl.
Detroit Lions Thursday injury report: TE James Mitchell added, 3 OL return to action ahead of Sunday’s playoff game against the Rams
The penultimate Detroit Lions injury report for wild card week came out after Thursday’s practice session. Tight end Sam LaPorta and wideout Kalif Raymond were both still out with injuries suffered in the Week 18 win over Minnesota.
They were joined as non-participants by cornerback Jerry Jacobs (thigh/knee) and backup QB Teddy Bridgewater, who was out for personal reasons.
The only other player who wasn’t a full go was tight end James Mitchell, who was listed as limited with a hand injury. Mitchell was a full participant on Wednesday.
During Wednesday’s practice, offensive linemen Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow and Frank Ragnow all sat out with veteran rest designation. They were all back on Thursday.
After everything he had been through, seeing Teddy return was a moment of pure joy
Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!
In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.
It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.
On the eighteenth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: Teddy Bridgewater’s triumphant return to football.
The Minnesota Vikings were set up to make a real Super Bowl run in the 2016 season. They were coming off a season where they won the NFC North in dramatic fashion against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and dominated the wild card matchup against the Seattle Seahawks but they couldn’t get it done.
The confidence level surrounding the team was sky-high and the preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers gave even more hope to Vikings fans as he ran the offense to perfection with explosiveness.
That all came to an end on August 30th which ended up being a fateful day for the franchise.
Bridgewater didn’t just hurt his knee, he destroyed it. One wrong step caused a torn ACL and a brutal dislocation that without the quick reaction of head trainer Eric Sugarman, Bridgewater could have lost his leg.
The Vikings went into somewhat of a tailspin for the next few months. They traded first and fourth-round picks for Sam Bradford and, after a 5-0 start, they missed the playoffs at 8-8.
During the offseason, there was discussion about what this team would do at the quarterback position? They had Bradford on the roster and the injury prognosis was unknown. He ended up starting the season on injured reserve and didn’t start another game for the Vikings.
Once he was healthy, there was a lot of speculation that he would end up getting the starting job over Case Keenum, as he was winning games, but making multiple bonehead decisions per game had head coach Mike Zimmer openly questioning his quarterback.
While he never made the switch, Keenum led the Vikings on quite a journey. It ultimately ended in the NFC Championship Game, but one of the best moments in Vikings history came when they hosted the Cincinnati Bengals.
It ultimately ended up being a 34-7 win for the Vikings, but it was more about the moment. It was the game where Bridgewater made his triumphant return and the standing ovation was so loud, it felt like the roof of U.S. Bank Stadium was going to shatter.
While things never were quite the same for Bridgewater, that one moment will forever live in Vikings’ lore.
Teddy Bridgewater, who went 7-7 as a starter with the Broncos in 2021, plans to retire from the NFL after the 2023 season.
Former Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater plans to retire after the 2023 NFL season, he told the Detroit Free Press in a recent interview.
Bridgewater, 31, played for the Denver Broncos in 2021, going 7-7 as a starter. He was the team’s first quarterback since Trevor Siemian in 2017 to start the majority of a season and win at least half of his games.
Bridgewater completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,052 yards with 18 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 2021. Denver shut him down in December after he suffered two concussions in a three-month span.
Bridgwater left the team in free agency the following spring, signing with the Miami Dolphins as a backup. He had a classy farewell after leaving the Broncos, stating that he wished the team “nothing but the best.”
After spending the 2022 season in Miami, Bridgewater signed with the Detroit Lions in August. After serving as Jared Goff’s backup this season, Bridgewater plans to become a high school football coach in retirement.
Bridgewater spent 10 years in the NFL and went 33-32 as a starter.
Fan-favorite former Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater told the Detroit Free Press he plans to retire after the 2023 season and start a new career: coaching high school football
It’s always nice to see a pro football player step away from the game on their own terms, and that’s what New Orleans former Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater intends to do. Now with the Detroit Lions, the fan-favorite backup to Drew Brees told the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett that the 2023 season will be his last in the NFL.
Bridgewater, 31, has seen it all in the NFL. He earned Pro Bowl recognition with the Minnesota Vikings early in his career. He recovered from a career-threatening knee injury to lead the Saints to a 5-0 record in relief of Brees during the 2019 season. He secured a life-changing $31 million from the Carolina Panthers as a free agent and has been valued by multiple teams as an experienced backup who can guide them through tough times.
And he’s on track to hang up his cleats and pursue his next passion: coaching high school football. Bridgewater has maintained a regular presence at high school games on Friday nights whenever he’s been free over the years and he wants to spend the next chapter of his football life coaching up the next generation. Good for him. He’s always been easy to root for and we’ll be keeping tabs on his next success story.
Bridgewater confirmed to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that 2023 will be his final NFL season
It took a lot of convincing by the Detroit Lions to get Teddy Bridgewater to play in 2023. The longtime NFL quarterback was prepared to be done playing last offseason, he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Bridgewater also told Birkett that 2023 will be his last NFL season.
“I’m just really appreciative that I’m in Year 10, I tell everyone this is my last year, so I’m in my final year and I’m just enjoying it all, man,” Bridgewater said.
It’s not a surprising development for the journeyman veteran, who has only played this year at the end of the Lions’ blowout win over the Panthers. With young Hendon Hooker now available for the future, Bridgewater has served his role as Jared Goff’s backup quite well.
While he played for the Dolphins, Bridgewater would spend time and volunteer at his high school alma mater, Northwestern HS. As Birkett notes, there is some convenience of timing here,
He plans to coach high school football next season — the head coaching job at his alma matter, Miami Northwestern, is open — and he has no interest (for now) coaching in college or the NFL (“I don’t like the hours”).
The Lions’ final regular season game is at home against the Minnesota Vikings, the team that drafted Bridgewater in the first round back in 2014. It will be interesting to see if “Teddy Two Gloves” gets any action against the team he’s most associated with.
