Matthew Stafford gets record-setting extension from Lions
Legions of NFL teams wander the quarterback desert, longing for a signal-caller that can take them out of a malaise that engulfs every franchise without a golden arm under center. On Monday night, the Detroit Lions made sure they were not going to be one of those teams for at least six more seasons.
The Lions signed quarterback Matthew Stafford to a five-year extension worth a whopping $135 million with $92 million in guarantees. Stafford breaks the all-time league record for overall contract value, annual value and guarantees. The previous mark was set by Derek Carr who received a five-year, $125 million deal earlier this offseason. Last year, it was Andrew Luck who set the guarantees bar with the Indianapolis Colts, signing on the dotted line for $87 million.
The #Lions and QB Matthew Stafford agreed on a 5-year extension worth $135M, source said. Huge.💰💰💰
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2017
Stafford, 29, has accomplished plenty from an individualistic standpoint in his career. Drafted first-overall by Detroit out of the University of Georgia in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Florida native has thrown for 30,303 yards in his career to go with 187 touchdowns. Over the last six seasons, Stafford has not missed a game despite some shoddy offensive lines, posting at least 4,200 yards in each campaign while racking up a pair of 30-touchdown years. In 2011, Stafford become a member of the exclusive 5,000-yard single-season passing club.
Still, there will be critics over this contract. Stafford is now the richest man from a single contract in NFL history, and in eight years has never won a playoff game in three tries. The Lions have not earned a postseason victory since 1991, or an NFL championship since 1957.
Against teams with winning records, Stafford is an appalling 5-46 all-time and has just one win over such a team on the road, per Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders. The Lions have never been great with Stafford, and often mediocre. In fact, over the past six seasons, Detroit is exactly .500. He has also failed to elevate the team to an NFC North title, despite twice having a chance to do so with a Week 17 win over the Green Bay Packers.
So what to make of this deal? Well, the Lions either made Stafford the highest-paid player in the game, or they would have seen him walk. Detroit wasn’t ready for a full-scale rebuild, so it bit the proverbial bullet and is now hoping to build a legitimate contender around its still-young quarterback.
It’s a risk, considering the team has never won much of anything with Stafford. Yet it is considerably better than the alternative of being stuck without a quarterback, especially playing in a city that doesn’t exactly attract free agents without fistfuls of overspent cash.
The Lions are making a huge gamble, the biggest gamble of all-time, but in the end, it was their only real option.
