Hendon Hooker reacts to Lions signing Teddy Bridgewater, Dan Campbell responds

Detroit Lions (13-2) quarterback Hendon Hooker wasn’t surprised by the team’s decision to sign Teddy Bridgewater on Thursday.

In fact, it would have been more shocking if the move did not happen. Hooker had been expecting it since before training camp, the same time when Bridgewater was preparing to coach high school football for his alma mater, Miami Northwestern.

“I figured Teddy was going to come back here this season,” Hooker said Thursday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Didn’t know when. I knew when his season was over, he was going to come back. I mean, we’ve been talking about it since the summer.”

Bridgewater led his team to a state championship in his first season at the helm and then told NFL Network earlier this month he was coming out of retirement with the hopes of signing with a playoff contender. That led him back to Detroit, whom he spent the 2023 season with serving as backup to Jared Goff. Head coach Dan Campbell said that signing Bridgewater was about giving them a veteran option behind Goff as the team prepares for a deep playoff run.

“I understand what it looks like,” Campbell said. “But it’s just a different world that we’re getting ready to walk into. And I just – we felt like this was the right thing to do. Especially with somebody that I have a tremendous amount of trust with and for. He understands our offense well. The guys know him well, the coaches know him well, and he brings a certain level of comfort to us.”

Lions add Teddy Bridgewater to backup QB room alongside Hendon Hooker

Hooker, the 2023 third round pick out of Tennessee, has been Goff’s backup this season, though his NFL experience is limited. He has appeared in three games of mop-up duty, completing 6-of-9 passes for 62 yards. Bridgewater, 32, is a 10-year NFL vet with 65 starts under his belt. Campbell said both could play if something happens where Goff becomes unavailable in the playoffs. By having both on the 53-man roster, the Lions can designate either Hooker or Bridgewater as their emergency quarterback without having him count against their game day roster, Birkett wrote.

“Doesn’t mean we’re disappointed in Hooker,” Campbell said. “That’s not what this means. It just means this gives us somebody that’s 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.”

Hooker, who spent part of the offseason working out with Bridgewater, is glad to see him back in the locker room.

“Definitely miss my guy just being in the room and leaning on him whenever Jared is doing his own thing. Still asking questions,” Hooker said. “He’s still my mentor at the end of the day. So, any questions I have about life or this game of football or being a pro always seem to lean on Teddy.”