Posted in: NFL, Sports | Tagged: Detroit Lions, entertainment, Jim Caldwell, Matthew Stafford, nfl, sports

Detroit Lion's Make Matthew Stafford The Highest Paid NFL Player

Published Mon, 28 Aug 2017 23:01:41 -0500

Whose the best quarterback in the NFL? That question could have a variety of answers depending on what you think makes a quarterback great. Whose the highest paid quarterback in the NFL? That question only has one answer and according to Adam Schefter, his name is Matthew Stafford. Word is that the Detroit Lions have come to terms on a contract with their franchise quarterback to a five-year deal that will have an annual average of $27 million dollars. The sum moves him ahead of Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders whose contract he signed a few months back made him the highest paid player in the NFL.

If you look at Stafford's stats, it's hard to justify those numbers. He was the first pick in the 2009 drafted and started 10 games that season until he was injured. He came back in 2010, playing 3 games before the rest of the season was lost to injury again. There was a fear that he would be a bust and injury prone, but Stafford turned it around and has played every game from 2011 through last year. But in that time, the Lions have only made the playoffs three times (2011, 2014 and 2016) and was one and done each time and didn't play well in any of them.

So, why pay the guy so much? Because the Lions really don't have a choice. Stafford is a strong armed quarterback that gives the team a chance to win. He throw for over 4,000 yards every season. One year going over 5,000. And he hold 30 of the teams quarterback records. His playoff stats will loom over him until he wins one, but he is likely to get the team back to the post-season to at least give it a shot. There current head coach, Jim Caldwell, is the first (non-interim) head coach to have a winning percentage since the early 1970's. Since 2014 the pairing of Caldwell and Stafford has gotten the team to the playoffs 2 out of 3 seasons. The team is on the upswing.

And then there is the cost of quarterbacks. Stafford will be the highest paid player until either Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan or Kirk Cousins sign a new deal. The ability to find a franchise quarterback is becoming more and more difficult every year and with how quickly coaches and general managers are being fired, you only have a year or two to turn the team around before you're on the hot seat. Having a franchise quarterback is the first step to keeping your job. And if you have a guy, and you don't pay him now… you'll have to pay him even more once another quarterback or two sign.

Stafford may not be as popular as Tom Brady, as athletic as Cam Newton, or have the family name like Eli Manning… but in a town like Detroit that has gone through years of horrible seasons, they're very happy to have someone that gives them a chance.

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