After months of them being interested, the Detroit Lions are finally signing Teddy Bridgewater to be their backup quarterback to Jared Goff. The move is now official, in concert with some other roster moves the Lions announced on Thursday.
It was fair to assume the holdup in the Lions signing Bridgewater, from a reported strong offer a little over four months ago to a visit late last month, was with Bridgewater and not the team. He probably had an eye on being able to compete for a starting job somewhere at one point, and had an asking price the Lions were hesitant to meet.
Then Nate Sudfeld has offered a recent glimpse into what he'd bring to the table if Goff went down, and the promised emphasis on the No. 2 quarterback spot by general manager Brad Holmes was forced to actually happen.
Teddy Bridgewater-Lions contract details about as expected
Wednesday night, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the details of Bridgewater's contract with the Lions.
Compensation update: Teddy Bridgewater’s deal with the Detroit Lions is worth a maximum of $5 million, including $2.5 million guaranteed.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 9, 2023
Half of Bridgewater's deal being guaranteed is not surprising. Getting that extra $2.5 million is surely rooted in if he has to play (starts made/wins as the starter, certain statistical numbers?, playoff win(s)?).
The $2.5 million guaranteed is a pretty nice deal for the Lions, even in the realm of backup quarterback salaries. As close examples from this offseason, Marcus Mariota's one-year, $5 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles is completely guaranteed and Sam Darnold's one-year, $4.5 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers has $3.5 million guaranteed.
It's also a step down in salary for Bridgewater. He made $6.5 million with the Miami Dolphins last year. But seemingly having no market for his services outside of the Lions, and it being August now, removed any real contract demands he could make. He could have waited for an injury to open up an opportunity somewhere else before Week 1, or take the proverbial bird in the hand the Lions were offering.
Bridgewater should get on the practice field next week for the joint sessions against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and suit up in the second preseason game.