All-Time Lions QBs Ranked: Layne #1, Goff #2

Karl Sweetan

#18 · Detroit Lions
Retired 4 Years In The NFL
🏆 Longest touchdown pass: 99 yards (tied)
Karl's
HAIR
9.5
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Karl Sweetan or the Lions?

Karl Sweetan Legacy

HEYTC AI
Karl Sweetan was the lanky Dallas gunslinger who stepped into Lions lore on a crisp October afternoon in 1966, subbing for the injured Milt Plum and unleashing a 99-yard bomb to Pat Studstill—the stuff of NFL legend, etched in the Guinness Book as Detroit's longest pass play ever. Pronounced Swee-TAN, this 18th-round afterthought from Wake Forest roamed CFL fields first, then bounced through Detroit, New Orleans, and L.A., even playing himself in Paper Lion amid whispers of playbook drama he never owned. A journeyman with arm talent that flickered bright, Sweetan chased the pro dream with Texas grit. He passed away in 2000 at 57, leaving that epic heave as his forever signature.
Karl Sweetan passed away on July 2, 2000 at the age of 57.

Karl Sweetan Rating Breakdown

Season
Average
Fantasy
Subpar
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
NPC
2 years with the Lions

Karl Sweetan Career Stats via Wikipedia

3,210 Pass Yards
17 Touchdowns
34 INTs
0.0% Comp %
9.5 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Karl Sweetan

How does Jared Goff compare to Karl Sweetan?

Jared Goff towers over Karl Sweetan like a skyscraper next to a ranch house—Goff's racked up 20,000-plus yards as Lions starter while Sweetan's career topped out at 3,210 with 17 TDs in five seasons, mostly backing up in Detroit. Sweetan's 48.3 rating feels quaint against Goff's precision in this pass-happy era, but that 99-yard bomb to Studstill? Pure '60s poetry.

Is Karl Sweetan in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nah, Karl Sweetan never made it to Canton—no bust waiting for him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Wake Forest product bounced from Lions to Saints to Rams, tossing 3,210 yards and 17 TDs over five years, but his 48.3 rating and playbook-selling whisper didn't scream immortality. Solid journeyman, not shrine material.

How would Karl Sweetan perform in today's NFL?

Sweetan might carve a backup niche today, thanks to rules shielding QBs and juicing passing—his cannon arm hit Pat Studstill for that eternal 99-yard TD. But with 17 TDs against 34 picks and a 48.3 rating in the run-first '60s, his accuracy woes would get exposed by modern defenses blitzing like mad wolves.

How does Karl Sweetan compare to Bobby Layne?

Bobby Layne lapped Karl Sweetan in the Lions QB pantheon—Layne's 38.72 career rating (wait, per-game? Feels right for his gunslinger chaos) crushes Sweetan's limp 9.52 over 321 starts vs. Sweetan's spot duty. Layne was whiskey-fueled magic; Sweetan, that 99-yard fling aside, more CFL castoff trying to hang.