The Lions and quarterback Matt Stafford reached an agreement on a contract extension Monday that will make him the highest-paid player in NFL history at a reported $27 million per year. Stafford’s new contract surpasses Derek Carr’s $25 million-per-year deal that was signed in June.
Stafford's contract should set a new benchmark that will lead to the first $30 million-per-year NFL player.
Leading up to Stafford's record deal, though, the NFL quarterback market actually had been somewhat sluggish.
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The QB market had been slow since Aaron Rodgers' decision to sign a $22 million-per-year-contract in 2013. That number became a ceiling for every quarterback contract that followed until 2016, when Joe Flacco was able to use some incredible salary cap leverage to negotiate a three-year contract with the Ravens worth $22.1 million per year.
Flacco’s contract opened the door for market growth at the position, which has now seen four different players earn the “highest paid" label, starting with Flacco.
The big jump in salary came from Andrew Luck, who signed a $24.594 million-per-year contract with the Colts in June 2016. Carr earlier this year became the first $25 million-per-year player in league history, and Stafford is the newest market leader. The Lions passer's $2 million raise was likely based in part on Luck’s $2 million increase over Flacco.
The contracts of Stafford and Carr show just how much leverage quarterbacks have over front offices. In the past, players often were graded in part by playoff success and wins. Carr has never played in a playoff game, and Stafford has never won a playoff game. This should help other quarterbacks in the future who have been unable to experience the success of a QB like Rodgers or Tom Brady.
Stafford's new contract also will keep him on pace to become the highest career earner in NFL history. He was one of the last two beneficiaries (Sam Bradford was the other) of the old CBA that gave rookies the ability to negotiate large contracts before stepping foot on the field. Stafford’s rookie contract paid him $72 million, which is more than double what the 2017 No. 1 pick earned. If Stafford plays out this next contract, which is likely given his age, he will have earned $262 million for his career.
The big beneficiaries of this contract will be seen in the near future. Kirk Cousins’ price tag should now increase even further. Players like Rodgers and Matt Ryan will likely be extended next year and now should easily top $30 million per year.
Those signings likely will begin a process of pulling up the numbers for a young talent like Jameis Winston to earn something between the Stafford number and the eventual Rodgers number. That's is a big leap from where things stood before Stafford got his deal.