Detroit Lions fans want Matthew Stafford to stay, overwhelmingly, but does Stafford want to stay? We discuss how to keep him in Detroit.
Matthew Stafford is the face of Detroit Lions football. Just ask the NFLPA, National Football League Players Association. Stafford, the Lions quarterback, ranks as the number fifteen best-selling jersey in the NFL.
With Calvin Johnson’s retirement last year, he is the unquestioned leader in the locker room. Stafford is also in the driver’s seat in his career. Let’s discuss how HE may see his contract situation and the prospect of being a Lions player for life. If you were Matt Stafford would you want to stay in Detroit?
Stafford is sure to land a contract worth in excess of twenty-five million dollars per year at some point soon. That is the going rate for a top passer after Derek Carr signed his extension averaging that salary per year.
In fact, Stafford’s contract has dominated the Lions off-season news. What I want to consider is, “What does Matt Stafford want to see from the Lions to make him want to stay?”
Calvin Johnson, our former all-pro wide receiver, just retired last year due to burnout. Johnson didn’t see himself winning anytime soon. He indicated that as his main reason to not continue the physically difficult schedule of being a pro football player. So, he retired.
Stafford is confident, playing his best ball, and seems to have his life in order in every way. If it weren’t for his finger injury last year, he may have stayed in the Most Valuable Player Award discussion until the final vote.
We’ve spent so much time asking if we want to keep him, which is an overwhelming YES from Lions fans, that most people have not considered if he wants to keep us.