Lions Come To Terms With Matthew Stafford
Former University of Georgia QB Agrees To Contract
Apr 25, 2009 Salvatore Stefanile
Without ever having taken a snap in the NFL, QB Matthew Stafford has become a very rich man. With reports varying of what the base salary is, the fact of the matter is that the former Georgia Bulldog has signed a 6 year contract worth anywhere from a minimum of $72 million to a maximum of $78 million, with $41.7 million of that to be guaranteed.
Unbelievable.
But with rookie contracts rising each year, there was no way that Stafford was going to be paid less than what Matt Ryan signed for with the Atlanta Falcons last year after being drafted third overall in the 2008 draft. Ryan signed for $72 million over 6 years, with $34.75 in guarantees.
Detroit Lions Hope To Have Found Their QB Of The Future
With Daunte Culpepper capable of throwing the long bomb to Calvin Johnson, the Lions have the luxury of being able to keep Stafford on the sidelines and learn the game for a season without having to be rushed into action.
But with fans being restless after watching the Lions go winless last season, there’s always temptation to please the fans and let them see what the $78 million man has to offer. And with the NFL being a copycat league, the Lions might want to see what the rookie can do for them now and follow in the footsteps of the successful seasons the Falcons had with Ryan and the Baltimore Ravens had with Joe Flacco.
Lions In No Position To Win Now
One thing keeping the Lions from not letting Stafford sit on the bench is the fact that they have a lot of holes to still fill and are nowhere near competing for a playoff spot this season. It would be wise for the Lions to let the veteran Culpepper be the starting QB and have Stafford redshirt his rookie season, just like Carson Palmer did in his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
And new head coach Jim Schwartz is under no pressure to win this season to save his job so it would be in his best interests to let Stafford just take the game in without having to actually step foot on the field.
Of course, just like the Falcons making the playoffs last year, we’ve seen that anything can happen but the Lions have a bigger hill to climb and it won’t be easy for them to compete in the NFC North, especially with the Chicago Bears having just traded for QB Jay Cutler.
St. Louis Rams Pick Next
With the Lions having signed Stafford, the St. Louis Rams are now on the clock. With needs at a variety of positions, the Rams have many holes to plug which has lead to speculation of them drafting either offensive linemen Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe, linebacker Aaron Curry and there has even been talk of them drafting QB Mark Sanchez to replace Marc Bulger. The only thing we know is that anything can happen so tune in tomorrow to see the rest of the draft unfold.
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