The Detroit Lions used their No.1 overall pick in the 2009 draft to bring Mathew Strafford onboard; and ever since then, people have questioned Mathew’s abilities and whether he was ever really worth the pick. An analysis of NFL betting suggests that Mathew has won over most of his critics.
And he could soon become the highest-paid player in the NFL. Mathew’s arm was always impressive, though he didn’t exactly deliver during those first few seasons with Detroit. The team has only made two playoff appearances since Mathew joined them, and they didn’t exactly win, this only cementing the criticisms leveled at Mathew.
One major complaint was that Mathew relied too heavily on star receiver Calvin Johnson, this along with his penchant for making questionable decisions.
This year, though, Mathew looked like he was a completely different quarterback, delivering a consistent performance and proving to be one of the team’s most reliable players.
Jim Bob Cooter replacing Joe Lombardi as offensive coordinator might have driven Mathew’s relatively recent transformation. He has completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 4,310 yards. He can also boast of 35 touchdown and 8 interceptions, this along with a passer rating of 105.4.
Anyone who doubted Strafford cannot deny the fact that the Lions have been winning more frequently. One cannot help but admire Strafford for refusing to engage his critics. Rather than fighting back with words, Strafford has always chosen to let his performance do his talking. This season definitely extinguished criticisms and put a satisfied smile on Strafford’s face.
2017 isn’t far, and it will mark the end of Strafford’s contract with the Lions. That matters because Strafford has been playing really well. Considering his critical role in the team, the Lions have every reason to offer him an extension on his contract.
They need him to stick around a little longer; and in order to keep him close, they might have to offer him the going rate for franchise quarterbacks. And in doing that, they could make him the wealthiest NFL player.
The highest paid quarterback in the league at the moment is Andrew Luck whose contract extension earns him an average of $24.5 million. Joe Flacco, who isn’t too far behind Andrew, earns around $21 million from his contract extension.
Strafford stands to exceed both of those numbers, especially if the salary cap jumps. Strafford has chosen to avoid conversations regarding his plans for the future. He has made a point of generally dismissing and deflecting questions on the issue.
He claims that his contract is the furthest thing from his mind, and that might be true. Strafford, despite all his hard work, has yet to sniff the Pro Bowl. So maybe he is still driven by the desire to climb the ranks in the NFL.
Strafford has been dealing with national attention ever since he made waves as a student playing football; so he tries to avoid the attention as much as possible. As such, he doesn’t really listen to what people have been saying about his prospects in 2017 once his contract lapses.
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It will be interesting to see Strafford continue to strive for greatness in a team that clearly needs his talents and which is willing to pay to keep him around.
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