August 29th, 2017 at 7:35 AM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 7:45 AM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 7:50 AM ^
My sense is there will be another QB signing for even more silly money, and we'll all forget about this soon. Stafford is a quality QB, works well with Cooter, and is pretty level-headed on and off the field.
And he almost certainly could have gotten more money by leaving the Lions. I'm not thrilled about the signing, but overall am happy to have him around for another five years.
/ Rebuilding Since 1957!! /
August 29th, 2017 at 8:26 AM ^
Actually Stafford has restructured his deal in the past to make room for free agents. Twice in fact, according to this article:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82789c9a/article/lions-suh-staffo…
He's not a selfish guy. It is his agent's job to get him as much money as possible, especially since he is in his prime and should be making the most money of his career. It is highly likely that within the next year or two someone else is going to get a bigger contract. This is how the NFL works. Player salaries are always growing.
August 29th, 2017 at 8:35 AM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 9:11 AM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 9:31 AM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 9:57 AM ^
I see another double digit wins year for the Lions in the next five years. Unfortunately I also a few 4 win years.
August 29th, 2017 at 9:53 AM ^
But he's never going to take them to the Super Bowl and I doubt his ability to take them deep into the playoffs. So, "good" is worth the money? I guess to the Lions it is.
August 29th, 2017 at 9:56 AM ^
If this deal is for 22 million a year nobody bats an eye. That is an almost 5 million a year raise for Stafford, who as everyone points out is Detroit's best option, and still much more reasonable that 27 million.
August 29th, 2017 at 10:22 AM ^
Why fans get all worked up about the money. If 5 M is the difference between keeping him and losing him, you pay that man his money.
August 29th, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
But would he have left? We always say that Stafford is Detroit's best option. But in that same vein isn't Detroit Stafford's best option? Arguably the only team more attractive than Detroit that needs a QB is Houston.
The caveat is that we don't know what the cap hit is, but 5 million could buy you some contributers on defense, and probably another good OL.
August 29th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^
Maybe. This is not a free agent destination, and teams are built through the draft.
The Lions do not have a good enough system where you can do what NE does and find no-namers off the street and have them contribute immediately.
There are no transformational QBs in college. Darnold is pretty darn good, but is he a franchise mover? Doubt it. And the Lions won't be in any position where they are going 2-14 to take guys at his level.
August 29th, 2017 at 10:55 AM ^
I'm not saying we should get rid of Stafford. Just that he isn't worth paying 27 million a year for.
The only endorsement deal I know he has is Ford. If he isn't he Lions QB he loses that endorsement. So that right there is extra income that he would lose should he go somewhere else for a marginal salary increase.
But to be honest, after Cutler got his deal in 2014 I knew Stafford was going to get a mega deal. He is better than Cutler and younger. Hopefully the lions still have cap room for the other 52 players needed to win in the NFL.
August 29th, 2017 at 11:10 AM ^
But that's what you have to pay to maintain your top QB. Kurt freaking Cousins will be getting 30 million soon. Think about that. And Stafford is 90 times better than him. I actually think 27M is reasonable considering the way the market is going.
As I said before, FAs aren't coming here. And if they are, they won't be top flight guys. And I don't trust this organization to spend the money they may save from him.
August 29th, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^
If Stafford wanted more endorsements, he'd have 'em. And if he became the new mega-signing in a new city, he'd have a huge pile of endorsements to choose from.
And if we let him hit the market, you'd be crazy to think only one team would go after him. Franchise QBs just don't hit the market. The Broncos, Texans, Jets, Jags, Browns, 49ers, Bills, all of the above would love to have him and they'd fall all over themselves to do it. Would you rather bid against all of them to keep Stafford?
August 29th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^
he would get paid about 35 million a year with shitty teams bidding against other shitty teams.
We really don't know the true value of a franchise QB in the open market because smart teams don't let them leave.
August 29th, 2017 at 10:03 AM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 1:18 PM ^
....well,...... do whatever you call that crap.
Using this lack of logic, I suppose to some of you think Barry was over-rated since he was 1-4 in the playoffs.
It's the ultimate team game being played with a QB centric strategy, even if he is only in the top 15 you have to pay him, especially since he has had his chances to bolt this chicken shit franchise and hasn't.
No Lion QB in franchise history has been in more playoff games than Stafford, let that sink in.
August 29th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
The Lions are going to have to "overpay" because of the Lions premium. They are a team that is so snake bit that their two best players in the past 30 years walked away from the game rather than keep playing. I think it comes down to, do you want to overpay the devil you know (Stafford) or overpay the devil you don't know, assuming that the Devil you don't know even wants to come to Detroit and be overpaid.
Personally if it was my money, I would have trade Stafford to the Cowboys for a sack of proverbial magic beans when Romo when down and acquired Colin Kaepernick.
Heck, even now I would take Kapernick at a cost of half of Stafford if it were my team.
August 29th, 2017 at 4:01 PM ^
trade for Stafford when they have Dak Prescott who's on a rookie contract? That's not going to happen.
August 29th, 2017 at 5:12 PM ^
My comment was a hypothetical in the past before they drafted Prescott as the "when Romo went down" indicated.
Obviously the Cowboys wouldn't make that trade now.
August 29th, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
As long as the Fords own the team, none of this matters.
August 29th, 2017 at 5:08 PM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 6:35 PM ^
August 29th, 2017 at 10:28 PM ^