AP
The new extension, which could be worth as much as $78 million, is further proof that Stafford is one of the luckiest players in the NFL.
The Lions now owe Stafford $43 million over the next three seasons, which would push his career earnings to at least $92.5 million in his first seven seasons. Not bad for a 25-year-old quarterback that was just 4-12 in 2012 and is just 1-23 in his career against teams with a winning record.
Stafford was one of the last players chosen with the number one pick in the NFL draft before the new collective bargaining agreement restricted the amount of money rookies could make.
After being drafted in 2009, Stafford's first contract was for 6-years and worth as much as $72.0 million. By playing under that deal for four seasons, Stafford has already been paid at least $49.5 million.
However, that rookie contract would have counted as $20.8 million against the Lions' salary cap in 2013. So the Lions had to up their commitment to Stafford in order to free up $3 million in cap space.
For comparison, Cam Newton, who was drafted with the number one pick in the draft just two years after Stafford, signed a rookie contract worth just $22 million guaranteed over four years and is unlikely to hurt the Panthers' salary cap.
In addition to being lucky, this deal also shows just how hard it is to find a good quarterback in the NFL. Even when a mediocre team like the Lions finds an above-average quarterback like Stafford, they are forced to go all-in to keep him.