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Lions, Stafford Agree To New Deal That Makes QB Highest-Paid Player In NFL
Matthew Stafford will become the highest-paid player in NFL history with the five-year deal he has agreed to with the Detroit Lions, ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported Monday night.

The deal will have an average annual value of $27 million, a source told ESPN's Mike Rothstein. It will put Stafford ahead of the five-year contract that pays $25 million annually to Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, which Carr signed last month, and is expected to exceed the record for guaranteed money issued to an NFL player, $87 million by Andrew Luck with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Lions on Monday night announced they had agreed to the five-year deal with Stafford without stating the financial terms.

With quarterback stability a must in the NFL, the Lions making Stafford the league's highest-paid player was a no-brainer. With the deal, the Lions keep their franchise leader in almost every passing category with the team throughout the prime of his career.

The No. 1 overall draft selection in 2009 -- the franchise's first pick following its 0-16 season in 2008 -- Stafford has started 109 games for the Lions, compiling a 51-58 record. After an injury-plagued first two years in Detroit, Stafford has started every game at quarterback for the Lions since the start of the 2011 season.

Stafford has completed 2,634 of 4,285 passes for 30,303 yards, 187 touchdowns and 108 interceptions. He has been sacked 242 times, has thrown for 1,515 first downs, and owns a career passer rating of 86.8. He has also rushed 242 times for 851 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Stafford has already become a top-50 quarterback, statistically, in NFL history, ranking No. 39 in completions, No. 47 in attempts, No. 44 in yards, No. 49 in touchdowns and No. 23 in passer rating.

The 29-year-old has posted three of the best seasons of his career under current Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, including a Pro Bowl year in 2014 and two playoff berths. Under Caldwell, Stafford has seen three of his four best completion percentage years and the three lowest interception totals of his career when he has played more than three games.

Last season, Stafford played through a dislocated middle finger for the final four-plus games of the season and saw a steep decline in his play because of the injury. In 12-plus games before suffering the injury, Stafford completed 68.4 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. In 19 quarters after the injury, Stafford completed 58.6 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and five interceptions.

Still, Stafford surpassed 30,000 yards passing for his career, becoming the fastest quarterback ever to reach the mark. Stafford did it in his 109th game. The previous record was held by Dan Marino and Kurt Warner, who did it in 114 games.

And unless the return of Ameer Abdullah gives the Lions' rushing attack a serious jolt, expect Stafford to continue serving as the triggerman in one of the league's pass-happier offenses.