The Detroit Lions were handed some stunning news on Sunday. Head coach Dan Campbell announced that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is stepping away from the team. Bridgewater was slated to be the Lions' backup behind Jared Goff but is now on the reserve/retired list.
After Campbell's announcement, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Lions plan to work out a few free agent quarterbacks. There's a high chance Bridgewater's retirement is permanent.
That said, let's take a look at four quarterbacks Detroit could target to replace Bridgewater and provide some competition to undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer, who should now get some looks as the QB2.
Jimmy Garoppolo
© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Garoppolo makes perfect sense for the Lions. The 34-year-old was contemplating calling it a career earlier in the offseason, but is willing to play in the right situation this year.
With 64 career starts under his belt, Garoppolo would add experience behind Goff in the quarterback room and should also be pretty cheap to sign. The Eastern Illinois product would arguably be an upgrade over Bridgewater as the No. 2 signal-caller, so this signing feels like a no-brainer for Detroit.
Joshua Dobbs
Dobbs has yet to find a new home since being cut by the New England Patriots in March. The 31-year-old has a 3-12 record as a starter while tossing 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions with a 62.8% completion rate.
Though Dobbs wouldn't be a fantastic backup, Detroit should at least bring him in for a workout and see how he looks at this stage of his career. Dobbs would bring solid experience and a high football IQ to the quarterback group, though he shouldn't be guaranteed the QB2 role immediately.
Desmond Ridder
If the Lions want to bring in a young signal-caller, Ridder would be a fascinating option. The Cincinnati Bearcat product didn't throw a single pass in 2025 after spending training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals, most of the season with the Minnesota Vikings, and the end of the year with the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers released Ridder in May, and the 26-year-old has been on the open market since. Ridder wouldn't be a high-level backup, but if Detroit wants to focus on youth at quarterback behind Goff, Ridder and Altmyer would accomplish that.
However, with the Lions looking to contend, it would be wise to add a quarterback they can trust in a game.
Jeff Driskel
Lastly, Detroit could sign a familiar face to replace Bridgewater. Driskel has bounced around the league since being a sixth-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2016 NFL Draft, but one of his teams was the Lions in 2019.
Driskel spent the 2025 campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Washington Commanders, but didn't throw a single pass. The 33-year-old doesn't have much starting experience and hasn't won a start since 2018, but he is another option for the Lions as they quickly move to sort out the quarterback room.
