Stafford Is Getting Paid $27 Million To Be Mediocre

  I need to quit my job right now and go be the next ball boy for the Detroit Lions. What the fuck are the Lions doing, paying Matt bleeping Stafford $27 million per year for the next 5 seasons (per Schefter). Maybe the ball boy leads to a nice back-up QB spot that could pay me around half his salary. I can settle for $13.5 million; I’m a humble man.

Now let’s analyze this extension and the player…

  Stafford was drafted number 1 overall in the 2009 NFL draft out of Georgia. This is a draft that saw Mark Sanchez drafted 6th overall by the New York Jets, and Josh Freeman getting the call at 17th by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is no doubt that Stafford was one of the better players in that draft—but is he worth $27 million per, never mind $2 million more than Derek Carr?

  Stafford has played 8 seasons in Detroit, and has led the Lions to 3 playoff berths—albeit first round losses (one with a controversial call in Dallas). He made his only Pro Bowl in 2014, has thrown 187 TD passes in 7 plus years (he only played 3 games in 2010) and averages just under 24 TD passes a year. However, he has thrown 108 interceptions, which makes his splits about 24 TD: 15 INT. Again: MEDIOCRE.

  I browsed on Pro Football Reference and clicked “similar players,” and the results were hilarious to say the least.

  At the top of laughable was Hall of Fame QBs such as Ken Stabler and Roger Staubach, and the other end at the impetus of mediocrity was with the likes of Kordell Stewart, Chad Pennington, and Jake Delhomme.

  I’m not saying Stafford did not deserve this deal. Although his stats do not reflect him worthy of 27 million per year, the market is admittedly clearly widening for QBs to be paid—that showed with Carr getting paid, and the QB franchise tag costing the Redskins a tad under $24 million to keep Kirk Cousins this season proves it. Matt Ryan is making a small percentage of Stafford’s salary at a measly $15.750 million this season and $19.25 million in 2018 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2019 (unless Atlanta franchises him). 

  This deal gives the Lions’ much needed security of knowing their signal caller for the next half decade with coach Jim Caldwell and second year Executive Vice President & General Manager Bob Quinn time to build for a town that is thirsty for an NFL Championship that has eluded them since 1957. Furthermore, it gives notable 2018 free agent QBs such as Kirk Cousins, Drew Brees, and Jimmy Garoppolo an idea of their market value.

Written by David Chase