The Facts:
Tom Lewand struck an optimistic note about contract negotiations with Stafford Saturday, but the Lions president acknowledged that talks will be tabled until after the season if a deal isn’t done at some point. “We’ve still got some discussion to have, but at some point in time we’ll either get a deal done or we’ll focus on football,” Lewand said. “It’s a different dynamic when you have two years left on a contract versus one. Most of them get done with a year left. And we’ve worked through a lot of those issues and continue to do that, want to continue the dialogue. But at some point in time we’ll either have a deal or we’ll agree that the focus needs to be on what’s going on the field.”
Reported by the Detroit Free Press
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
The Lions opened talks on an extension for Stafford at February’s combine, but those discussions didn’t pick up steam until before the start of the off-season program in April. Stafford still has two years left on the six-year deal he signed as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, but he has hefty cap figures of $20.8 million this year and $19.3 million next. If the Lions don’t get a deal done before next season, they risk exposing their franchise quarterback to free agency or needing to use a $23.2-million franchise tag to keep him off the open market. ... So we're not in maximum-stress mode or anything, but it's a situation worth watching with the long-term implications in mind.
Profile
Home
