Teddy Bridgewater hired at Miami Northwestern? NFL QB retires to coach high school alma mater
Miami-area high school star Teddy Bridgewater is returning home.
Bridgewater, the 10-year NFL veteran who retired from the league at the conclusion of this season, is returning to Florida to be the coach at Miami Northwestern High School, according to multiple reports Friday.
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The 31-year-old former first-round draft pick signed with Louisville after his high school playing career at Northwestern. Bridgewater was a four-star recruit and No. 5-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2011 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings.
Bridgewater completed 1,372 of 2,067 passes (66.4%) for 15,120 yards with 75 touchdowns to 47 interceptions in his NFL career across stints with the Vikings, Saints, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins and most recently, the Lions.
Here's everything to know about Bridgewater's next step:
Did Teddy Bridgewater retire from the NFL?
Bridgewater told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, in December that he was planning on retiring at the end of the 2023 season.
He said he also planned to coach high school football after his career, which was announced Friday.
"I was young and I was trapped in this lifestyle thinking that I was a football player 24-7, and when I got hurt I realized that I'm only a football player for three hours on a Sunday afternoon," he told the Free Press. "Outside of that, I'm Theodore Bridgewater, so it just put everything into perspective and it really helped me not even have to think about not being a starter (anymore).
"It's like, 'Man, I still got purpose.' And my purpose is bigger than the game of football. Football is just a platform that I have."
Teddy Bridgewater hired at Miami Northwestern
Bridgewater, who graduated from Miami Northwestern High School in 2011, reportedly was hired as the school's next coach on Friday.
Bridgewater had a close relationship with practice squad receiver Maurice Alexander prior to signing with Detroit last offseason, and Alexander told the Detroit Free Press that Bridgewater is the "neighborhood hero" where he grew up.
Miami Northwestern has an illustrious football history, including a 2007 national championship and three consecutive state titles from 2017-19 — two in Class 6A and one in 5A. The Bulls have seven state championships overall.
Alumni of the school include Cleveland Browns receiver Amari Cooper and L.A. Rams receiver Tutu Atwell, among others.
The Bulls finished 4-6 last season.
Teddy Bridgewater college stats
Bridgewater played three seasons at Louisville.
Career: 781 of 1,142 passing (68.4%) for 9,817 yards with 72 TDs, 24 INTs; 226 rushes for 170 yards with six touchdowns
Teddy Bridgewater NFL stats
Bridgewater played for the Vikings, Saints, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins and Lions.
Career: 1,372 of 2,067 passing (66.4%) for 15,120 yards, 75 TDs, 47 INTs; 221 rushes for 884 yards and 11 TDs.
Teddy Bridgewater earnings, salary
According to Spotrac.com, Bridgewater's career earnings across his NFL contracts is over $64.6 million.
He earned a base salary of $1.55 million as a backup to Jared Goff with the Detroit Lions in 2023.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Teddy Bridgewater, Miami Northwestern reunite: NFL QB hired by alma mater
