Rising tides may lift all boats, but Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford isn’t worried about the ships about to come in for other quarterbacks.
With big deals on deck for Derek Carr and Kirk Cousins, Stafford shrugged off the comparisons.
“I’m not too worried about what those guys do,” Stafford said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I’m just worried about trying to get better out here. That’s pretty much all I can say. This time of year to me is football time. I’m out here playing football, trying to get better to help this team win.”
With inflation being what it is, they could surpass Andrew Luck’s record deal, though the Lions and Stafford haven’t really moved past the “early stages” of their negotiation at last mention.
Stafford said he has “no timetable” for a new contract, while the other two do. Carr said he won’t talk about a new deal if it isn’t done before the start of the regular season, and Cousins has the July 15 deadline for a long-term deal as a franchise tag recipient.
If Stafford waits, the numbers are only going to rise, though he doesn’t want to think about that either.
“The only time I ever talk about [my contract] or think about it is when you guys ask me questions about it, honestly,” Stafford said. “I just go out there and play ball, try to be aggressive and get better.”
Toward that end, he’s going to gather some teammates for a passing camp before training camp, hoping to build on the kind of progress he made last year, which will get him paid.