John Niyo of the Detroit News is reporting that a deal is nearly complete between Matthew Stafford and the Lions.
The parties are in agreement on the guaranteed money in the deal but still are ironing out contract language, two league sources said, and both sides were confident a deal would be completed. The Lions have said repeatedly they wanted the top pick signed before the draft.
The Lions have another hour and a half or so to reach their initial deadline, but as speculated earlier in the week, there is plenty of time to finish a deal tomorrow. Since the draft doesn't start until 4 p.m. ET, negotiations can continue throughout the night and tomorrow morning/early afternoon.