The Detroit Lions added a quarterback on Day 1 of free agency, and it was not — officially, at least — Jared Goff.
The Lions agreed to a one-year deal Wednesday with former Green Bay Packers backup Tim Boyle, a source told the Free press. NFL Network reported the deal is worth $2.5 million total, with $1.5 million guaranteed.
Boyle played sparingly in three seasons with the Packers after making the team as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Kentucky in 2018. He was nontendered as a restricted free agent this week.
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The Lions began revamping their quarterback room in January when they traded Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Goff and three draft picks. The trade, which should be announced Thursday, could not finalized until the 2021 league year opened at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Lions released a nine-minute tribute video to Stafford late Wednesday night in which Stafford thanked fans and called it “an honor for me to be the quarterback of this city.”
Stafford wore No. 9 throughout his career in Detroit.
Backup quarterbacks Chase Daniel and David Blough remain under contract, but Daniel is expected to be released and Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he is open to taking a quarterback in next month’s draft.
Boyle, 26, did not play as Green Bay’s No. 3 quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers and Deshone Kizer in 2018. He appeared in 11 games the past two seasons, logged 18 carries — many of them kneel-down snaps — but did not attempt a pass.
In his only collegiate season as a starter, Boyle threw for 2,134 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He played his first three college seasons at UConn.
Boyle is the second ex-Packer the Lions have added in free agency. Late Tuesday night, they agreed to a two-year deal with running Jamaal Williams.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.