Selected in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL draft, Detmer spent the next ten years in
Philadelphia. He spent most of his career as a backup to quarterback
Donovan McNabb and as the place-kick holder for
David Akers. His action as a starter was limited to five games in the 1998 season and one game in the 2002 season, in which McNabb was out with a broken ankle. Detmer played well in that game, going 18 of 26 for 227 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing and one rushing). He dislocated his elbow in the fourth quarter of that game and was replaced by third-string quarterback
A. J. Feeley. Detmer healed enough to play in the final games of 2002, but head coach
Andy Reid decided to stay with Feeley, who was having success. He also saw sporadic playing time in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Prior to the 2006 season, Detmer was released after the Eagles brought back A. J. Feeley and signed former Pro Bowl quarterback
Jeff Garcia as the backups. He was re-signed on January 2, 2007, by the Eagles to provide a third quarterback for the team's playoff push, with Donovan McNabb out with injury. He was also re-signed to be the kick holder for the Eagles. Detmer had his NFL career extended for a few days by signing with the
Minnesota Vikings on November 6, 2007. The Vikings needed a second quarterback behind
Brooks Bollinger while
Tarvaris Jackson and
Kelly Holcomb recovered from injuries. Detmer was reunited with Vikings head coach
Brad Childress, who had been with the Eagles as the offensive coordinator. Detmer's stint with the Vikings was his first professional experience not in an Eagle uniform. The Vikings released Detmer on November 10, 2007, once Holcomb had recovered sufficiently to play. In 103 NFL games, Detmer has a career passer rating of 61.2 with ten career touchdowns and 14 interceptions thrown. Despite poor passing numbers, Detmer managed to have an 11-year career due to his ability to hold for place-kicks; then-Eagles special teams coach
John Harbaugh and Pro Bowl kicker David Akers both spoke highly of Detmer's talent and skill in this area. ==Career statistics==