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Matthew Stafford not feeling added pressure despite being highest-paid NFL player
By Cody McClure
Published:
Despite signing a deal to become the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL, former Georgia quarterback and current Detroit Lions gunslinger Matthew Stafford isn’t feeling any added pressure.
Stafford signed a contract extension on Monday that sets him up to make $151.5 million through the 2022 season, according to ProFootballTalk.
The new deal doesn’t change the pressure that was already on his shoulders before signing it, Stafford apparently said. He added that he “doesn’t feel much different than he felt before” and said he has “been around this league long enough to know what’s important.”
As the ProFootballTalk reports point out, the deal sets a new high for quarterbacks and all NFL players. However, that likely will be temporary as other quarterbacks around the league begin negotiating new deals.
For Stafford, the goal (and reason for the pressure) is getting the team back to the playoffs and winning a game in the postseason for the first time since 1991.
“That would have been true no matter how much money is hitting Stafford’s bank account,” the report stated. “But there’s no question that the ultimate judgment on the wisdom of this deal will weigh heavily on whether he can pull those things off.”
Cody McClure is an SEC Football Writer for Saturday Down South. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he also co-hosts a midday sports radio show for FOX Sports. Cody previously worked for Athlon Sports.
