Matthew Stafford’s five-year $135 million contract extension with the Lions just makes sense. The team announced the extension on Monday night reporting that he’s signed through 2022.
Look, if you’re an NFL owner and you’ve got a good, young quarterback who is still trending up, you make sure you keep him in town. Kudos to Martha Firestone Ford and to GM Bob Quinn for getting the deal done.
An NFL team without a good quarterback is nothing.
A team with a franchise quarterback at least has a fighting chance.
Stafford is just 29 years old and has eight years of NFL experience. His teammates say he’s more vocal and has improved his leadership even more since the start of training camp.
He is widely respected in the locker room from players on both sides of the ball. He’s dedicated and committed to winning.
Stafford possesses a good combination of traits for a quarterback — a rocket for an arm, he thrives on pressure, has a high football I.Q. and he is not afraid of hard work.
He’s led the team to the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. He has yet to win a playoff game, but that is not all on him. A run game and a consistent defense would help the cause.
Stafford has found ways to give back to the community even though he’s not too vocal about it.
He may be from Dallas, but he is a good fit in Detroit.
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