Detroit Lions: Derek Carr contract is big news for Matthew Stafford

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is in line for a serious payday in the aftermath of Derek Carr’s contract extension.

Derek Carr has reportedly become the NFL’s highest paid player and Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has to be salivating right now.

As word emerges that the Oakland Raiders have agreed to a five-year, $125 million contract extension with their franchise passer (per Ian Rapoport), the story is gaining attention from around the league, but perhaps no one is more invested in the outcome of these events than Stafford and his agents.

The $25M per year threshold is one no QB has reached. Now Raiders and Derek Carr have done it. Stafford, Cousins, all QBs should be thrilled
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 22, 2017

Indeed, the new contract’s annual average value of $25 million sets a new NFL benchmark, surpassing Andrew Luck‘s yearly average of $24.594 million. There is little doubt that Carr is deserving of a considerable pay increase after playing an instrumental role in returing the Raiders to relevancy, but there is no question that this is a monumental deal.

After a sensational 2016 season that saw him garner MVP consideration, Carr has emerged as an upper tier NFL signal caller, but he is now being paid like the absolute best player at the game’s most important position. So what does this mean for someone like Stafford, who is currently seeking an extension of his own?

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The simple answer is “a lot”.

Stafford, 29, has had a somewhat similar (albeit longer) career to that of Carr. After being tasked with helping return an ailing franchise to legitimacy, he found himself, in large part, carrying the team on his back in the aftermath of the retirement of Calvin Johnson. In 2016, Stafford proved that he was a big-time player in the clutch, completing eight fourth quarter comebacks (a league record) while leading his team to a 9-7 record and a playoff berth.

A natural arm talent (much like Carr), Stafford has played a truly vital role in helping the Lions to the postseason in two of the last three years. So should he receive a deal that matches or eclipses Carr’s? That’s a slightly harder question to answer.

NFL contracts are often awarded based not only upon what a player has accomplished, but what he could conceivably become in the future. Carr is 26 and has only played for three seasons. Stafford is 29 and has played for eight.

Those numbers tell a story. Although the age gap is fairly small, after a minimal amount of professional experience, it’s still reasonable to consider Carr a developing player. While Stafford has displayed improvement over the last two years, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to argue that he has already had his best seasons, not just in 2016, but during his brilliant 5,038-yard, 41-touchdown 2011 campaign.