By Michael Stets
Matthew Stafford’s deal is done, and the Lions’ quarterback–now the highest-paid player in NFL history–will be wearing Honolulu blue and silver through the 2022 season.
The Lions and Stafford came to an agreement on a five-year contract extension, the team announced on Monday evening. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the news. The deal is worth $135 million with $92 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Stafford’s $27 million-per-year average surpasses the previous record-setting deal of Oakland Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr, who signed a five-year extension worth $125 million with a $25 million-per-year average back in June.
Stafford, 29, signed a three-year extension back in 2013 worth $53 million and was set to make $16.5 million in base salary in 2017. Negotiations between the team and Stafford began during the spring. The No.1 overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft said back in April he “would love to” get a new deal done. But at the Lions’ annual mock game at Ford Field in the beginning of the month, Lions GM Bob Quinn said the two sides still had a “long way to go.”
We have agreed to terms with QB Matthew Stafford on a five-year contract extension through the 2022 season.
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 29, 2017
Just last week, Stafford said he hadn’t made “any determination” on whether he’d be willing to negotiate once the regular season began and it looked as though a deal might not be reached before the end of the summer. But both sides found a way to come to terms and avoided having to drag things out into the regular season, which begins on September 10 when the Lions face the Arizona Cardinals. And by signing Stafford, the team can now use the franchise tag on defensive end Ziggy Ansah, who is in the last year of his deal, if they need to next season.
Stafford set an NFL record with eight come-from-behind victories in 2016, and had one of his best statistical seasons as a pro, finishing with 4,3227 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The team began the season 9-4, but after losing their last three–with Stafford clearly affected by an injury to the middle finger of his throwing hand–finished at 9-7, and clinched a Wildcard spot for the third time since 2011.
Stafford’s new deal becomes the one that all other quarterback contracts will be measured by. Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who will become a free agent in 2018 after being placed under the franchise tag for a second consecutive season, and New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees, who will also be a free agent after this season, are two players that could be next in line for a big contract.