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The Detroit Lions haven’t had many great quarterbacks in their history, but these five are the oldest to ever start a game for them.
Last offseason, the Detroit Lions traded the franchise’s all-time leading passer, Matthew Stafford, as they undertook a rebuild with a new general manager and head coach. Jared Goff is a bridge to a young quarterback they may draft in April, and maybe that young guy can be a mainstay like Stafford was.
If you were to look at quarterbacks that have started a game for the Lions over their history, there are some interesting names. Tim Boyle added his name to that list in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns, and next season someone besides Goff and current No. 3 quarterback David Blough is in line to add his name to the list.
But here we’re unveiling the five oldest quarterbacks who have ever started a game for the Lions, counting down from the youngest to the oldest.
Can you guess who might be on the list?
The 5 oldest quarterbacks to ever start a game for the Detroit Lions
5. Jeff Garcia
Garcia is best known for his post-Steve Young run as the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, but he landed with his former head coach Steve Mariucci in Detroit for the 2005 season. Three of his five starts that season came after Mariucci was fired.
2005 Stats with Lions: 6 games, 5 starts; 937 passing yards, three touchdowns, six interceptions, 59.0 percent completion rate, 65.1 passer rating
Age at time of last start for the Lions, vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Dec. 18, 2005: 35 years, 297 days