Contract structure means Lions locked in with Stafford until at least 2020

Matthew Stafford hasn’t had a particularly productive campaign in 2018, and the Lions have struggled to a 3-6 record while ranking just 9th in offensive DVOA. But that doesn’t mean Detroit will have any interest — or opportunity — to move on from its veteran quarterback this offseason, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. “You’ve got as much chance of getting rid of Matthew Stafford as the Baltimore Ravens did of Joe Flacco prior to next year, because there was no way they were ever getting rid of Joe Flacco because of the way his contract was structured until 2019 at the earliest,” says former agent and current CBS.com contributor Joel Corry. Stafford signed a five-year, $135M extension in 2017 that included a $50M signing bonus. That bonus is prorated through 2021 at a rate of $10M annually, meaning it will be virtually impossible for the Lions to cut Stafford before 2020. Among the 25 signal-callers that have attempted at least 250 passes this season, Stafford ranks just 15th in passer rating

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