Detroit Lions: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time

The Lions brought in Jon Kitna prior to the 2006 NFL season. They inserted him in as their starting quarterback. Coming to the team via the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was an AP Comeback Player of the Year back in 2003, Kitna became one of the more prolific statistical quarterbacks in team history.

Prior to Kitna’s arrival, only Scott Mitchell had ever thrown for over 4,000 yards in a season as a Lions quarterback. Well, not only did Kitna throw for over 4,000 yards in his first season in Detroit, but he followed it up with another 4,000-yard campaign the following season, which would be his final as the full-time starter for the Lions.

In 2008, Kitna would suffer a back injury in Week 4, not only ending his season, but his time with the organization. Charlie Batch took over for Kitna the rest of the way. While the Lions did not have the best record during his time as a starter, he did put together some of the better statistical seasons in team history.

Overall, Kitna made 36 starts for the Lions, compiling a 10-26 record. In all fairness, those Lions teams were pretty terrible. Had it not been for a 7-9 record in year two, his overall record would have been a lot worse. Still, he was a solid starter during his time in Detroit, and he still has two of the top-10 single-season passing yard marks in team history.

Kitna is a top-10 quarterback in team history in both yards and completions, a statistic he led the league in back in 2006. The team traded him to the Dallas Cowboys after the 2008 season, where he became Tony Romo’s backup. But for a short time, he could fill up the stat sheet for the Lions as their starting quarterback.