Stafford Signs $53M, 3-Year Extension With Lions

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP/CBS Detroit) Matthew Stafford has signed a $53 million, three-year extension to stay under contract with the Detroit Lions for at least the next five seasons.

Stafford and the Lions agreed to terms Tuesday on the deal that will pay him another $41.5 million in guarantees, and he signed the contract Wednesday morning.

Detroit drafted Stafford No. 1 overall in 2009 and signed him to a six-year contract worth as much as $78 million with $41.7 million in guarantees. After two injury-shortened seasons, he helped the franchise reach the playoffs in 2011 for the first time in more than a decade.

Stafford threw more interceptions and had 21 fewer touchdown passes in 2012 than he did the previous year.

"Since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford has established himself as one of the League's elite, young quarterbacks," the team said in a press release.

His 20 touchdown passes in 2012 moved his career total to 80, tying Greg Landry for second place in Lions all-time history behind Hall of Fame QB Bobby Layne (118).

Stafford, 25, is currently the franchise's career leader in pass completions with 1,114, second in pass attempts with 1,863 and second in career passing yards with 12,807 entering his fifth season with the Lions. His 17 300-yard passing games and five 400-yard passing games are more than any Lions passer, and he is the fastest Lions quarterback to reach 70 passing touchdowns (39 games).

With a two-year total of 10,005 passing yards (2011-12), Stafford ranks third in the NFL behind only Drew Brees (10,653) and Tom Brady (10,062) for the most passing yards over two seasons. On a 28-yard completion to TE Tony Scheffler in the first quarter at Jacksonville (10/4) last season, Stafford also surpassed 10,000 yards for his career and became the second fastest player in NFL history behind QB Kurt Warner (36 games) to reach 10,000 career yards, doing so in only 37 games.

In 2011, Stafford set franchise passing records for yards (5,038) and touchdowns (41), as well as completions (435) and pass attempts (727) in 2012. His 2011 numbers also ranked among the best in NFL history as he became just the fourth quarterback in League history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season (5,038).

Since the beginning of the 2011 season, Stafford has engineered seven fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning drives. The 24-point comeback at Dallas (10/2/11) was the third 20+-point comeback of his career, and second in consecutive weeks, making the Lions the only team to do so in NFL history. Stafford now joins Layne as the only quarterbacks in team history to lead the Lions back to victories from 24-point deficits. His leadership and resiliency was nationally recognized when he was awarded the 2011 AP Comeback Player of the Year.

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