It's official: Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has put pen to paper and he'll now earn $43 million in guaranteed money over the life of a three-year extension, including a $27.5 million signing bonus.
It’s official! @Staff_9 @tomlewand #Lions pic.twitter.com/TLpdQA0px3
— Detroit Lions (@DetroitLionsNFL) July 10, 2013
Officially signed the deal! Thank you ford family! @kellybhall & I are happy to be in Detroit for at least 5 more! Love this team and city!
— Matthew Stafford (@Staff_9) July 10, 2013
The first-overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft will now be in Detroit through the 2017 season. Before Stafford signed his new deal, former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, now an analyst for ESPN, admitted that he was lukewarm on Stafford's talents.
“Too many forced throws," he said (via PFT). "Overall, he just threw too many passes with poor balance and bad footwork, with a tendency to fall away from the throws. He needs more consistent mechanics to play at a higher level week in and week out.”
Still, Jaws didn't begrudge the Lions for extending Stafford, who is 1-22 against teams that finished the season with winning records.
“It’s crystal-clear he has the skill set to be an outstanding NFL quarterback,” Jaworski said Tuesday (via the Detroit Free Press). “The one thing that bothers me about Matthew Stafford is the mechanics. There are times he is just wildly erratic.
“But we all know he has that big-time arm, which is so important in the NFL. He has the experience. What we need to do is now begin to get wins out of Matthew Stafford.” Jaworski added: "Those mechanics "can be fixed. And I will guarantee you this: Matthew Stafford is a guy who will work at it. He will work and work and work. He will pay the price to be successful.”
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