Lions G.M. Bob Quinn says he has his franchise quarterback in place, and now wants to keep him in place for years to come.
Quinn said on PFT Live that Matthew Stafford, who has one year and a $16.5 million salary left on his current contract, is due for an extension.
“We’ve begun a few discussions with his representatives. These things take time. These things don’t usually happen early in April or May, but we’re working towards that,” Quinn said.
Quinn indicated that he has no doubts that Stafford is the right man to lead the Lions for years to come.
“I have a great deal of respect for Matt,” Quinn said. “I think he’s a very good quarterback that has all the leadership and off the field traits that we look for in the quarterback position, and his on-field ability I think is well-documented. His arm strength, his mobility, which he used more of this year. I think he has all those things and we need to do a better job and I need to do a better of putting more pieces around him so we have a better team around him so he doesn’t have to carry the entire load.”
The 29-year-old Stafford probably has several more good years left in him. Quinn wants those years to be in Detroit.
