Buffalo Bills QB Kyle Orton Announces Retirement Plans

Buffalo Bills veteran quarterback, Kyle Orton announced his plans to retire on Monday. Orton, 32, has played in the league for 10 seasons.

"I just have been going at it for 10 years and it's just a family decision and I've decided to get home and be a dad and call it a day," Orton said in a statement.

Orton became a starter after the Bills lost EJ Manuel during week 5 of this season. Orton went 7-5 and completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 3,018 yards. This season was Orton's third 3,000-yard passing season out of his career. Orton signed with the Bills in August. He had a player option for the 2015 season.

"I think I've been away from my parents since going to college, so 14 years," Orton said according to Buffalobills.com. "Anytime you have a chance to end on a good note and go home and spend time with family that's really important to me and my wife and we're just excited to move on. I was real thankful that they brought me in. I talked to coach Marrone and he's one of the best coaches I've been around. My relationship with him was awesome this year. I respect what he did for the team. I think he's a great head coach and has the organization certainly going in the right direction."

Orton entered the league in 2015 and has played with the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Bronocs and Chicago Bears.

His retirement plans have shocked many, including runningback, Fred Jackson.

Jackson stated, "It's one of those things, in talking to him, I didn't expect him to announce it so soon, or to announce it at all. I'll kind of pick his brain and see what made him decide to do so, but you got to respect it."

He added, "It's one of those things where everything is going to be evaluated in the offseason anyway. I can't say that it's a setback. I can't say that it helps us."

With Orton leaving, the Bills will have to turn to quarterbacks, Manuel and Jeff Tuel and Orton is optimistic.

He said, "The sky is the limit for EJ. He's got all the ability in the world. I hope having a veteran guy around kind of showing the way a little bit helped him. I guess we'll wait and see, but he's a good quarterback. He's got his head on his shoulder and he'll be fine."