The Detroit Lions extension of Matthew Stafford’s contract seems ill-advised after the train wreck 2018 season. But it may not be his last deal in Motown.
When the Detroit Lions extended quarterback Matthew Stafford’s contract through the 2022 season, there were many doubters. Last season was the first official year of that extension – actually signed in 2017 – and Stafford had a lackluster outing that wasn’t worthy of his salary – and honestly not worthy of his reputation as a leader of the franchise.
To be fair, the Detroit Lions roster last season was not very good. The team saw its fair share of injuries on the offensive side of the ball – most notably running back Kerryon Johnson and wide receiver Marvin Jones, along with the trade that sent away receiver Golden Tate. Those losses hurt the team and made the job all the more difficult for the quarterback.
On Monday’s Jamie and Stoney radio program, one of the more interesting topics was the worst mistake by the Detroit Lions franchise in the past ten seasons. Co-host Jamie Samuelson pointed to the Stafford extension as the biggest mistake of the past decade (06-10-19):
"“The extension came a year too soon. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. It was an aggressive move by Bob Quinn. I would have preferred he waited a year and then extended him. I think that would have made more sense.”"
General manager Bob Quinn was aggressive with this signing. Especially considering the fact that the Detroit Lions could have slapped the franchise tag on Stafford before last season had they been unable to reach an agreement.