The winless Detroit Lions placed starting quarterback Jon Kitna on injured reserve list on Tuesday, ending his season due to a back injury.
The move could raise questions about Kitna's long-term future in Detroit.
There had been speculation the Lions (0-5) might trade Kitna, 36, and rely instead on backups Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton. A trade didn't materialize involving Kitna, but the Lions did send wide receiver Roy Williams to Dallas for draft picks.
Kitna suffered a back injury in a loss to Chicago two weeks ago and did not play in last week's 12-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, missing his first game as a Lion and ending his streak of starting 36 consecutive games.
Orlovsky replaced Kitna, completing 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. He will likely will make his second career start at Houston on Sunday.
Kitna told The Associated Press on Monday he didn't believe the injury was that serious, saying he would "eventually" be able to play again this season.
"After extensive examination and consultation with the team medical staff, it became clear that placing Jon on injured/reserve was the right decision," general manager Martin Mayhew said in a statement. "Jon and I met today and discussed moving forward with respect to his rehabilitation which will be done in coordination with our medical staff."
The Lions said Kitna's injury represents "an acute exacerbation of a chronic condition."
Kitna had 758 yards passing this season with five touchdown passes and five interceptions before back spasms sidelined him at halftime against Chicago on Oct. 5.
Kitna signed with Detroit prior to the 2006 season and has established himself as one of the best passers in team history, ranking eighth on the franchise's all-time passing list with 9,034 yards. He had 4,000-plus yards passing in each of the past two seasons with the Lions and combined to throw 39 touchdowns and 42 interceptions.
He also owns the franchise marks in career completion percentage (62.3) and single-season completion percentage (63.3), both set in 2007. Kitna has completed 70 percent or more of his passes in seven games since joining Detroit and threw for more than 200 yards in 30 of his 36 starts.
Kitna has thrown 152 TDs and 151 interceptions in 115 games for the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals and the Lions since making it to the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1997.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
