On To Detroit
After the 1956 season, Rote and defensive back Val Joe Walker were traded to the Detroit Lions for four players (halfback Don McIlhenny, offensive tackles Ollie Spencer and Norm Masters, and offensive guard Jim Salsbury).
Rote split time with Bobby Layne, although it was Rote who ended up with more passing touchdowns, fewer interceptions, more rushing yards, more rushing touchdowns, and a better won-lost record as a starter. Layne broke his leg late in the year, leaving Rote to guide the team to an NFL title. Detroit tied San Francisco for the division title, forcing a one-game playoff. Facing a 27–7 deficit in the third quarter, Rote led the Lions to a 31–27 comeback win and a date with the Cleveland Browns. In one of the greatest playoff performances in history, Rote led the Lions to a 59–14 thumping of the Browns. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns, adding another touchdown on the ground.
As for Green Bay, they averaged four points/game fewer than the year before in spite of the addition of future Hall of Famers Bart Starr and Paul Hornung.
Layne was traded to Pittsburgh shortly into the 1958 season, leaving Rote to guide the aging and rapidly declining Lions. Rote would lead the team in rushing, making it the fourth time in his career that he did so (an NFL record for quarterbacks). After a disastrous 1959 season, the Lions informed Rote that he would be released. Rather than retire, he headed north of the border to the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
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