The first practice of the Detroit Lions 2017 training camp is just two days away. As the day draws nearer, I can sense a general uneasiness among Lions fans. A large majority of fans want Matthew Stafford to sign a long-term deal with Detroit, and there hasn’t been a peep about any progress in negotiations for a few months now.
On a daily basis now, I’m getting requests for updates where contract talks stand. When I respond that nothing has happened but this is exactly how things worked out with Darius Slay last year, I’ve been met with skepticism and doubt.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
On a scale of 1-5, how worried are you of a deal not getting done with Matthew Stafford?
My answer: 1. Most people that have been paying attention to this situation knew that a deal was not going to be done by now. There was no point in Stafford entering negotiations before the Kirk Cousins franchise tag deadline passed. And with that passed, both Stafford and the Lions could relax and try to enjoy the last couple weeks before training camp.
As former Packers vice president Andrew Brandt always says: deadlines spur action. So far, Stafford nor the Lions have faced any deadlines, so it should come as no surprise that a deal has yet to be struck.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn has already shown that he likes to get deals done right before the deadline. Last year, Slay signed a four-year extension just hours before the first training camp practice. Later in the offseason, Quinn inked Theo Riddick and Sam Martin to long-term deals just a few days before the opening of the regular season.
In both of those scenarios, Quinn had a clear deadline: the beginning of training camp and the beginning of the regular season. Stafford hasn’t hit any of those deadlines, and until he does, I won’t be worried.
Your turn.
Poll
How worried are you that the Lions won’t reach an agreement with Matthew Stafford
This poll is closed
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54%
1 - Not worried
-
21%
2 - A little worried
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12%
3 - Somewhat worried
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6%
4 - Pretty worried
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4%
5- Very worried
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1%
I don’t want the Lions to extend Stafford