TAMPA, Fla. — Teddy Bridgewater was nearly a Buccaneer not once, but twice.

Tampa Bay brought him in for a top-30 visit before the 2014 NFL draft, strongly considering the Louisville star as their quarterback of the future. Then in 2020, he was once again on their radar, until the Bucs pulled off a franchise-altering coup by signing Tom Brady.

“We had him in here in 2014 before the draft,” general manager Jason Licht said Tuesday. “There might have been a past situation where we would’ve taken him. A few years ago, he was what was behind Door No. 2. We talked about that today on the sidelines. We ended up with Tom Brady.

“You can have everything, but not at once.”

The Bucs now will have Bridgewater after he arrived at One Buc Place on Tuesday morning, passed a physical and signed a one-year deal. He watched practice from the sideline with assistant general manager Mike Greenberg.

Bridgewater, 32, will provide much-needed playing experience behind starter Baker Mayfield. Licht said Kyle Trask, who has never started an NFL game, will remain the No. 2 quarterback, but the GM didn’t rule out a scenario where Bridgewater becomes the backup to Mayfield.

Bridgewater returned to the NFL in December as Jared Goff’s backup with the Lions but did not appear in a regular-season game. He completed his only pass for 3 yards in an NFC division playoff loss to the Commanders.

Mayfield had been sidelined with a contusion on his right throwing hand, leaving all the first-team reps to Trask. Mayfield returned to practice Tuesday.

The Bucs’ No. 3 quarterback, Michael Pratt, has been out all offseason with a back injury.

While Trask has only attempted 11 NFL passes in his four seasons backing up Tom Brady and Mayfield in Tampa Bay, Bridgewater has a vast NFL resume.

“He brings us a wealth of experience at that spot. Obviously, we don’t have it,” head coach Todd Bowles said. ”Kyle (Trask) has been here a few years, but he hasn’t really played. Obviously, we have the new guy (Connor Bazelak) just coming in. So, we need the extra arm. We think we need some experience in that room — the more experience, the better.”

As for Mayfield, Bowles was complimentary about his play in his return.

“He was sharp,” Bowles said. ”He was throwing the football. It’s like (training) camp days had never ended. He was very good on his reads, as far as understanding where the blitzes were coming from and knowing where to go with the football. I was happy about that.”

The Bucs host their preseason opener Saturday against the Titans. It’s possible Bridgewater could play.

Bowles has said he wants his starters to play more this preseason, but not necessarily in any one game. It’s likely most will sit out Saturday.

“I’m saying a little more in the game they play in,” Bowles said. ”It doesn’t mean they’re playing in more than one, but we’re doing more ones-on-ones than we did in the past. In the preseason game, they need to play probably a little longer than they’ve played.

“Depending on how practice goes on Thursday (with the Titans), a lot of starters are going to get a lot of reps in that (practice). I expect to see a lot of young guys on Saturday.”

Bridgewater has played 10 seasons with the Vikings (2014-15, 2017), Saints (2018-19), Panthers (2020), Broncos (2021), Dolphins (2022) and Lions (2023-24).

In fact, Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard was with Bridgewater for his last regular-season start with the Dolphins.

”Josh just loves (Bridgewater)‚" Licht said. “He’s a pro’s pro. It obviously helps for him to have that relationship with him. Todd has a good relationship with him.”

First-year Bucs defensive line coach Charlie Strong is another connection. He was Louisville’s head coach when Bridgewater starred for the Cardinals (2011-13).

Bridgewater completed 1,372 of 2,067 passes (66.4%) for 15,120 yards with 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions in his decade in the NFL. He added 844 yards and 11 scores rushing.

In his second pro season, Bridgewater was named to the Pro Bowl after starting all 16 games for the Vikings and leading them to an 11-5 record.

Bowles said Bridgewater will be a big help to Mayfield during the week helping to prepare for games.

“I believe he can. ... He’s definitely a guy that can do that,” Bowles said. ”He’s been in some of the same systems as Baker has been in. He has a wealth of knowledge from a coaching standpoint as well as a playing standpoint. He can’t do (anything) but help.”

Before joining the Lions last year, Bridgewater took the head coaching job at Miami Northwestern High, his alma mater, in February 2024. In his first season, the Miami native led the Bulls to the Class 3A state championship, finishing with a 12-2 record and a dominant playoff stretch in which they outscored opponents 250-12, including 41-0 in the title game.

However, Bridgewater was suspended last month by the school for providing impermissible benefits to his players, including Uber rides, meals and recovery services, that Bridgewater said he paid for.

©2025 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.