Getty Tim Boyle runs on the field with Aaron Rodgers.
The Detroit Lions are embarking on an offseason of change in their quarterback room, and the big changes keep on coming as the free agency period kicks off.
On Wednesday night, the Lions revealed they had agreed to sign former Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Tim Boyle. The news was first revealed by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
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In terms of the contract, it’s a one-year deal worth $2 million dollars for Boyle in Detroit.
Boyle had been slated to be a restricted free agent, but the Packers did not tender him an offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent and was snapped up by Detroit quickly once the offseason was officially underway. The Lions are in the process of dealing Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff, and rumors are swirling they will release Chase Daniel as well, meaning Boyle could be figuring in to be a third quarterback or possibly the backup.
In Green Bay, there was no chance for Boyle to stick long-term given the emergence of Jordan Love, so the decision was made to cut him loose and move on. The Lions hope it will be to their benefit.
Boyle’s Stats and Highlights
Since joining the Packers, Boyle has received a cult following with fans thanks to the way he performs in the offseason, training camp and preseason. Boyle hasn’t registered and NFL touchdown or interception, and has just 15 passing yards to his credit. In spite of that, Boyle has put up some decent stats in college, throwing for 3,371 yards, 12 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. He played at UCONN before transferring to Eastern Kentucky. Boyle has played for the last three seasons in Green Bay in mostly mop up duty.
Here’s some highlights of Boyle while playing for the Packers in the preseason:
Obviously, there’s talent in the arm, so it will be interesting to see what the Lions manage to do with Boyle.
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Lions Quarterback Room Seeing Massive Shift
The Lions have Jared Goff coming in the mix soon via trade and seem set to move on from Chase Daniel as well. That means Boyle could have the inside track to a backup job assuming the team doesn’t draft a rookie this year. The Lions will be doing their homework on that front in coming weeks ahead of the draft, but it’s clear the team liked what Boyle brought to the mix and wanted to snatch him up before another team got a look at him. It’s unclear what this means for David Blough, but it’s possible this could hurt his ability to be in the mix with the Lions long term given the numbers game.
Boyle will have a lot to prove to the Lions, but he will be given an honest chance to get that done in camp this year and moving forward for the team given this deal.