The Detroit Lions welcomed back quarterback Teddy Bridgewater weeks after his state championship win. ESPN reported Bridgewater coached his high school alma mater, Miami Northwestern Senior High School, to a state championship before signing with the Lions on Thursday.

A few months after retiring, Bridgewater was hired by Miami Northwestern to turn around its 4-6 record. Miami Northwestern went 12-2 this season and outscored its opponents 262-12 in the playoffs. It won 10 games in a row to complete the season.

Bridgewater said on a recent NFL Insiders Podcast appearance he wanted to return to the league after his coaching term in Florida.

“My team knows that’s the plan. We wanted to win a state championship and then Coach goes back to the league, see what happens, and then come back February in the offseason, continue coaching high school football. We’ll see how it plays out,” Bridgewater said.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said Bridgewater’s return doesn’t mean the team isn’t happy with current quarterback Hendon Hooker.

“Doesn’t mean we’re disappointed in Hooker. That’s not what this means. It just means this gives us somebody that played a lot in the NFL. We’re getting ready for the playoffs, and so it’ll be good to get him back in the fold with us.”

“This does not mean that Hooker is out. That’s not what this means. If it comes to that, Hooker’s going to play for us, but Teddy probably will, too,” Campbell said. “So, I understand what it looks like, but it’s just a different world that we’re getting ready to walk into, and we felt like this was the right thing to do.”

A source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Bridgewater has been sought out for NFL coaching inquiries. However, he wanted to win a championship before considering offers.

Campbell said he had spoken with Bridgewater “for a while,” and re-signing him was always possible due to Bridgewater’s leadership and familiarity with the franchise. Previously, the 32-year-old was the Lion’s backup quarterback behind Jared Goff.

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