SATURDAY, 12:30pm: Orlovsky earned a bit of raise in his new contract with the Lions. ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that the one-year deal is worth $1.05MM, with $140K guaranteed.
MONDAY, 2:58pm: As expected, the Lions have re-signed Matthew Stafford‘s backup Dan Orlovsky, ensuring that their No. 2 signal-caller is under contract for the 2015 season, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, who reports that it’s a one-year deal.
Orlovsky, 31, didn’t see game action in 2014, as Stafford stayed healthy for the whole season. The former Buccaneer last played in a regular season game in 2012 for Tampa Bay. Orlovsky and Kellen Moore are both eligible for free agency this winter, and the Lions have indicated they won’t tender Moore a restricted free agent offer, though the team would still like to bring him back. Moore also didn’t see any action in 2014, despite the fact that all three QBs were on the 53-man roster.
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew had identified Orlovsky and long snapper Don Mulhbach at the combine as two under-the-radar free agents the team hoped to re-sign, and now both players are under contract for 2015. Coming off a minimum salary benefit with the maximum ($65K) bonus, Orlovsky will likely receive the same deal this time around — the minimum salary, with the maximum ($80K) bonus.