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Detroit Lions: Is Matthew Stafford the $25 Million Dollar Man?

By Michael Kirkland

SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 07: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions looks to pass the ball during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game at CenturyLink Field on January 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 07: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions looks to pass the ball during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game at CenturyLink Field on January 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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We look at the state of NFL contracts and the impending extension of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. Is he worth $25 million? We break down his value.

SEATTLE, WA – JANUARY 07: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions looks to pass the ball during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game at CenturyLink Field on January 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – JANUARY 07: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions looks to pass the ball during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game at CenturyLink Field on January 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

The NBA free agency period has sparked some intense conversation about pro athlete salaries. James Harden, a 27 year-old guard for the NBA’s Houston Rockets signed an extension that pays him $228 million over six years.

For those of you who are math-challenged or too lazy to grab your phone, that’s $38 million per year. Ripples are being felt into the NFL. Is this trend going to affect the Detroit Lions or Matthew Stafford‘s future in the Motor City? Inquiring minds want to know.

Stafford, the Lions quarterback, is in the process of getting his own extension. Bob Quinn and Rod Wood, Detroit’s general manager and president respectively, will likely make him the highest paid player in the NFL for a time.

Recent Talk

Terrance Knighton, a former NFL guard, took to Twitter to express his opinion of the discrepancies between top NFL salaries and those of the NBA. Below are some of his Tweets from July 8th, right after Harden signed his deal:

"”NFL makes billions a year. Time to get back to that negotiation table. And this time we need to stay strong and not budge. Make em Pay!!!” “Aaron Rodgers should be making more money then James Harden” “Tom Brady should be making more money then Steph Curry” “Aqib Talib and Chris Harris should be making more then Evan Turner” “Antonio Brown should be making more money then Mike Conley“ “Shall I continue?”"

Current NFL highest-paid player, Derek Carr, quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, just inked a deal for five years that will pay him $125 million. Carr will make $25 million per contract year.

Now, no one is suggesting that Carr should complain about making $25 million for a 16 game season. Knighton does make a valid point, in general, though.

Why is a sport like football, which generated roughly $14 billion dollars last year, compared to the estimated $8 billion that the NBA is working from, paying its top players significantly less?

Football Rules

A 2016 Harris poll indicates that pro football is the favorite sport of people in the U.S. by a significant margin. One third of United States adults would prefer to watch pro football to any other sport.

For reference, baseball was second most popular at 15%. Professional basketball received just 5% of the votes.

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