Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions Discussing Contract Extension

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn confirmed talks about a potential contract extension for franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.

On Tuesday, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk relayed comments the Lions GM made about the situation during an appearance on PFT Live.

"We've begun a few discussions with his representatives," Quinn said. "These things take time. These things don't usually happen early in April or May, but we're working towards that."

It's a stance that's changed since early March, when Quinn told Michael Rothstein of ESPN the sides hadn't begun discussing a long-term agreement. How much progress has been made is unclear, though.

The general manager provided further background information on PFT Live about the team's feelings on Stafford and the need to bolster his supporting cast:

"

I have a great deal of respect for Matt. I think he's a very good quarterback that has all the leadership and off the field traits that we look for in the quarterback position, and his on-field ability I think is well-documented. His arm strength, his mobility, which he used more of this year. I think he has all those things and we need to do a better job and I need to do a better of putting more pieces around him so we have a better team around him so he doesn't have to carry the entire load.

"

Meanwhile, the quarterback enters negotiations in the catbird seat. He's coming off back-to-back strong seasons leading the Lions offense, Spotrac notes he's set to earn $22 million in 2017 in salary and signing bonus, and the demand for QBs around the league remains sky high.

Max DeMara of CBS Sports noted the 29-year-old Georgia product said in January the contract situation is firmly in the hands of the Lions' brass.

"It's not up to me, it's up to the people upstairs and the Fords whether they want to or not," Stafford said. "So, it's not in the forefront of my mind at the moment. Got a lot of things going on personally that are important to me so I'll figure that out when I need to."

Stafford has tossed 56 touchdowns with 23 interceptions over the past two years. Detroit has ranked ninth (2015) and 11th (2016) in passing offense during those seasons, and qualified for the playoffs this past season before losing to the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round.

Now the 2014 Pro Bowl selection is entering the final season of his current deal. So the onus is on the Lions to figure out a solution before next offseason.

The bottom line is simple: He's going to get paid a lot of money by somebody. The Lions are either going to reward him with a lucrative extension or use the costly franchise tag to keep him, or he'll enter the free-agent market and a bidding war will ensue given the high number of teams searching for a QB.