Matt Stafford signs 3-year extension with Lions

Remember when the Lions finally seemed to be over the hump? GM Martin Mayhew put the front office through a careful disinfection, removing the stench left behind by Matt Millen. The team hired a new head coach, Jim Schwartz, that had the makings to be another Jeff Fisher, his old boss.

And then they took a step backward in 2012, winning just four games and making fans wonder whether or not this was just another version of a cursed franchise. It is not. And to remind you of that, Mayhew et al would like to divert your attention to the quarterback, who just signed a three-year extension with another $41.5 million in guaranteed money -- franchise quarterback money.

The contract gives the Lions a $20.8 million annual cap hit and makes Stafford the latest signal caller to get an extension this offseason, something Detroit has been working on for some time.The contract was thought to be an inevitability, and finally came to pass officially on Wednesday morning.

Last season, Stafford regressed along with his team, being intercepted 17 times and throwing a pedestrian 20 touchdowns. While he did throw for 4,967 yards, it was due to a litany of passing attempts as his average per throw dropped from 7.60 yards to 6.83.

The Lions are investing a significant amount of money in a player who hasn’t proven himself much. Stafford missed huge chunks of his first two seasons through injury and after a breakout 2011 season that saw him complete 63.5 percent of passes for more than 5,000 yards 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, he regressed last season. His completion percentage and yards dipped, while he threw just 20 touchdowns to 17 interceptions.

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