Lions, Glover Quin working on a long-term contract extension

Detroit Lions minicamp is over, meaning that attention will quickly turn to Matthew Stafford and his impending contract extension that could make him the highest paid quarterback in the league. But Stafford isn’t the only Lions player that may be due for a payday. Lions safety Glover Quin told the Detroit Free Press that his agent—newly hired this offseason—and the Lions have been in negotiations for a long-term extension. “To get an opportunity to finish here would be excellent,” Quin said.

Quin joined the Lions back in 2013, when he signed a hefty five-year, $23.5 million contract after spending just four years with the Houston Texans. Since joining Detroit, Quin has started all 64 games while pulling in 16 interceptions. In 2014, Quin led the NFL with seven interceptions, earning himself a Pro Bowl nod as well as second-team All Pro honors.

Though Quin turned 31 this year, he believes his NFL career is far from over. From Birkett:

Quin said he believes he has "three or four more high-level years" left in his body

If the Lions could wrangle Quin for another few years, it would be very beneficial for a team that is trying to revamp the rest of the defense. Detroit currently doesn’t have a long-term or developmental option at free safety. If the Lions could put off replacing Quin for a few more years, while maintaining a high level of play, it would give them an opportunity to address more pressing needs along the defensive line.

At this point, it appears both sides are interested in getting a deal done, which means an agreement could be coming quite soon. Quin told the Free Press he hopes to get the deal done before the regular season, but admits he doesn’t know where talks currently stand.

You may remember the Lions announced contract extensions for both Sam Martin and Theo Riddick just two days before the start of the 2016 regular season. Maybe we’ll see something similar this year.