NFL Rumors: Kyle Orton tells Dallas Cowboys he wants to retire
Although he has flirted with the idea of retiring, it looked like Dallas Cowboys’ veteran quarterback Kyle Orton would be returning for a 10th NFL season in 2014.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and The NFL Network, that appears to no longer be the case.
Discussed #Cowboys backup QB situation on Total Access. Where it stands: Kyle Orton has told them he wants to retire. They don’t want him to
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 23, 2014
The Cowboys were hopeful that Orton would return to provide them with a solid backup behind Tony Romo, but were prepared for this move. They signed former Cleveland Browns’ first round pick Brandon Weeden in the offseason.
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The Chicago Bears orginally selected Orton with 106th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Orton provided depth behind Rex Grossman for the Bears and was an excellent fill-in starter. He played in 33 games in four years with the Bears before becoming the Denver Broncos’ starter in 2009. He was cut in 2011 in favor of Tim Tebow. After four games with the Kansas City Chiefs to finish the 2011 season, he joined the Cowboys.
Last season, Orton completed 33 of 51 passes for 398 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In his career, he has completed 1,326 of 2,265 passes for 15,019 yards with 83 touchdowns and 59 interceptions.