Forgotten Bills: Kyle Orton

Kyle Orton was selected by the Chicago Bears as a mid-round pick in 2005, to begin what would ultimately be a journeyman career.

By 2014, Orton would find himself in a contract holdout with the Dallas Cowboys. Orton threatened Dallas with a possible retirement and didn’t report to any workouts while accumulating roughly $70,000 in fines. Orton would eventually show up to training camp, but would end up being released by mid-July.

On August 29th, Orton agreed to a two-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, with Buffalo paying him $5 million in the first year alone, making Orton the highest paid backup in the league at the time.

By Week 5 Kyle Orton would take over starting duties from EJ Manuel with Buffalo sitting at 2-2. Orton led the Bills to a 9-7 finish with his 7-5 QB record. Although Buffalo missed the playoffs, Orton would end up having a solid season considering he didn’t take over till Week 5. 

Orton completed 64.2% of his passes for 3,018 yards and a 18-10 TD-INT ratio. Orton’s seven wins marked his highest-win season since 2009, where he won eight games.

Despite being on a multi-year contract, Orton would announce his retirement effective at the end of the season. His 7-5 record with Buffalo would put his career win-loss record two games above even at 42-40. Orton currently holds the third-highest win total on the Bills since 2013.

Subscribe to our YouTube (IT’S FREE) here.