Former NFL QB Teddy Bridgewater wants to return his high school alma mater to glory. But he has to beat Raines first

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a dominant season, Raines High School (13-0) will represent the Jacksonville area in the 3A high school football championship, which will take place on Saturday night at Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

However, their opponent, Miami Northwestern, is looking to cap off an impressive playoff run with a victory, which would be quite the accomplishment for a man who has faced no shortage of adversity throughout his life: Former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

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Bridgewater, 32, traded his football helmet for a coaching headset earlier this year (he officially retired from the NFL on Feb. 2), but any followers of his football journey, which began at Miami Northwestern in 2007, knew that it wouldn’t take long for him to restore glory to his alma mater as a head coach.

Just not this quickly.

Attempting to mimic past success

Before Bridgewater took over, Miami Northwestern went 6-5 (2022-2023) and 4-6 (2023-2024). Those results are not only a far cry from the double-digit win seasons the school had enjoyed in the five consecutive seasons before that, excluding the shortened COVID-19 season, but they also failed to mimic the success that Bridgewater had while attending the school from 2007 to 2011.

While he didn’t see much playing time as a freshman in high school, especially positioned behind senior standout Jacory Harris, in his sophomore year, Bridgewater put together a decent campaign, leading Miami Northwestern to a 13-3 record and a state championship appearance, ultimately falling short to Seminole High School 28-21.

In his junior year, the formulation of a top-notch prospect began to take shape as Bridgewater threw for over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. During one game against a school from Hialeah, Bridgewater compiled over 300 yards and seven touchdowns through the air. He was also named second-team All-State, and first-team All-County while leading his team to a 10-2 record.

Adversity began to rear its ugly head during his senior season when a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury forced him to miss some time, but Bridgewater still managed to finish with respectable numbers and led Miami Northwestern to a 9-3 record. The team made it to the state semifinals, but couldn’t pull off a win against Miami Central in a game where Bridgewater threw for 436 yards and scored four touchdowns.

As a four-star recruit, the Miami native flirted with the prospect of joining the Hurricanes, even going as far as committing to the team. But, following the firing of then-coach Randy Shannon, Bridgewater pulled his commitment from Miami and enrolled at the University of Louisville.

Promising NFL career derailed by injury

Following a successful college career at Louisville, Bridgewater chose to forego his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL Draft, where the Minnesota Vikings selected him with the last pick in the first round.

In his first season with the Vikings, Bridgewater was handed the starting job after his predecessor, Matt Cassel, suffered a season-ending foot injury against the New Orleans Saints. During that season, Bridgewater would miss one game due to injury after suffering a sprained ankle in Week 4.

Next season, the quarterback managed to lead the Vikings to the playoffs and make a Pro Bowl appearance, and while the playoff results were less than inspiring, it seemed as if Bridgewater’s career was poised for lift-off.

Then, the 2016 season happened.

While completing an offseason practice, Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury to his left leg. Further evaluation revealed significant damage to multiple ligaments and dislocation of the knee joint, and not only was Bridgewater slated to miss the entire 2016 season, but the continuation of his career was in jeopardy.

“It was just a horribly grotesque injury,” said Dan Cooper, the surgeon who operated on Bridgewater’s knee. In an interview with ESPN, the medical professional described the quarterback’s injured knee as “mangled.”

“You make the skin incision, and there’s nothing there. It’s almost like a war wound. Everything is blown,” Cooper recounted.

Bridgewater continued his recovery into the 2017 season and didn’t return to the field until Week 15 when he entered the game to a standing ovation from the fans in a relief appearance for Case Keenum, the Vikings' starting quarterback at the time.

Role as journeyman begins

Following the 2017 season, Bridgewater entered free agency, and on March 18, 2018, signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets. However, after losing the competition with Sam Darnold, the team’s recent first-round pick, for the starting job, Bridgewater was traded to the New Orleans Saints for a third-round pick.

Drew Brees was entrenched as the Saints' starting quarterback during the majority of Bridgewater’s tenure, but nearly two years after the devastating leg injury, he made his first start since 2015 for the Saints after Brees suffered a thumb injury at the beginning of the season.

Bridgewater performed admirably in his few spot starts and proved to the sports world that he was officially back.

Instead of turning into a career backup, he decided to bet on himself by signing a three-year, $63 million deal to become the starting quarterback of the Carolina Panthers. During his first year as a starter with Carolina, Bridgewater set career-high totals for completions, passing yards, touchdowns, and rushing yards.

Despite career-best production, the Panthers decided to trade Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick. While in Denver, Bridgewater was set to compete for the starting job with Drew Lock, a former first-round pick for Denver, which began to mirror his time with the Jets. However, he managed to overcome the adversity and beat Lock for the starting gig.

Bridgewater had managed to stay healthy during his time in New Orleans and Carolina, but that streak, unfortunately, came to an end in Week 15 of the 2021 season when he suffered a season-ending concussion.

Returning home before retirement

In 2022, Bridgewater left the Broncos and returned to where it all began: Miami. He signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins to become the backup to Tua Tagovailoa, and, after Tagovailoa suffered a head injury in Weeks 3 and 4, made his first appearances for the team.

In Week 5, Bridgewater was asked to start but was forced out of the game after also suffering a concussion. Later in the season, Bridgewater broke a finger on his throwing hand.

After his one year with the Dolphins, Bridgewater signed with the Detroit Lions but never appeared in a game as a starter. On Dec. 16, 2023, he announced his intentions to retire following the season’s conclusion and his desire to become a high school football coach.

Coaching success

In his first year as a coach for Miami Northwestern’s varsity football team, Bridgewater seems to have the team on the right track.

Following two years of less-than-adequate production, the team is one win away from capturing a 3A state championship. It won’t be an easy task as Raines High School, whose offense is led by quarterback TJ Cole, running back Ta’darius Washington, and wide receiver Adron Walker, is putting up historic numbers this season.

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And not to be overshadowed, the defense, led by defensive back Eddie Hinton, linebacker Tony Williams, and defensive ends Troy Butler and King Massey, has also been extremely dominant.

But Miami Northwestern has put together a strong playoff run themselves, beating Barron Collier in the regional quarterfinals by nearly 70 points, putting a 50-plus point beatdown on Lely in the regional semis, and capping it off with a 48-0 drubbing of Cypress Lake.

The offense is led by quarterback Leon Strawder, wide receiver Calvin Russell Jr., and running back King Davis, while the defense is led by defensive end Deangelo Thompson and linebacker Desmond Johnson.

Now, Raines and Miami Northwestern will meet in Miami on Saturday night, with a win having massive implications for both teams.

For Raines, it would be the team’s first title since it went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018. For Miami Northwestern, it would be the team’s first title since 2019, and a huge statement for a head coach looking to inject life into a football team he once led.