The first QB off the board in the NFL Draft will be paid handsomely. Last year, 3rd overall pick Matt Ryan got $34.5 million in guaranteed money. If Matthew Stafford is to go first to the Lions this year, he stands to make a sum in that neighborhood as well.
Apparently, Matthew Stafford is crazy enough to want to spend his next several years in Detroit.
"I’d love to be a part of something like that. I’m a competitive guy and love a challenge, and that would definitely be a fun situation for me."
Maybe he truly believes he can turn the team around (crazy). Maybe he really wants to live in Detroit (crazier). Maybe Megatron suckered him in with an "Uncle Calvin Wants You" routine:
Whatever the case, publicly declaring your eagerness to play for the Lions is an interesting move:
-From the Lions' standpoint, drafting the top(ish) QB prospect who has publicly declared his willingness to play for you is a smart choice. They probably need a QB, especially after seeing what the Matt Ryan pick did for Atlanta. Given the opportunity to sell something like that to the fanbase, the PR upside is tremendous. No one wants an Eli Manning / Chargers situation (except the Chargers, who took Manning anyway then extorted the Giants). Stafford wants in, and that has value.
-From where Stafford is sitting, that kind of money and a shot at starting are nothing to sneeze at. Sure, Detroit is abysmal, but by the time he's ready to be a quality QB maybe things are different. The Millen-ium is over, and a GM with half a brain could start turning that team into something respectable, say 1-15 or 1-14-1 if they play the Eagles.
Declaring his love for Detroit may just help Matthew Stafford get a contract before the draft begins.
John sprinkled a few potential mock draft situations into the Pro Bowl post yesterday, one of them involving Matthew Stafford. As a Hawks fan, would you rather see the Lions just snap up Stafford (leaving at least one premier tackle or maybe Crabtree), or would you like for the Lions to look elsewhere, pushing the entire cascade of QB's down one rung and hopefully leaving more useful throwers for the Hawks later on?