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QB Stafford has yet to hear from Lions

Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford said early this afternoon he has not heard anything about a deal with the Lions to be the No. 1 pick overall, with the NFL draft little more than 24 hours away.

But Stafford said he was sure his agents and the Lions had been working hard, and SI.com’s Peter King reported he thought the financial parameters of a deal would be done in principle by late this afternoon.

“It’s a crazy business, and draft day’s a crazy day,” Stafford said. “Anything can happen in these next 24 hours, and to tell you the truth, it’s been a great getaway today.”

First, Stafford appeared on a CBS morning show with other top prospects. He threw footballs at a target with Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman.

Then the prospects visited the office of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and headed to Central Park for a clinic with kids. After that, they were off to a hospital visit.

Stafford said he had not talked to his agents, Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, since Thursday night.

Isn’t he nervous? Curious? The Lions say they want a deal done with their No. 1 pick before the draft starts. Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry could be a fallback option.

“I’m going to be playing NFL football wherever I am,” Stafford said. “If it’s with the Lions, that’s great. If it’s not, it’s somewhere else and I’m going to make the best of that situation.”

If the Lions don’t take him, couldn’t he drop dramatically?

“It’s not going to be a big deal to me either way,” Stafford said. “I’d love to be the first obviously. I think everybody in this draft would. But if it doesn’t happen, I really don’t mind where I’d go. I’d love to play football for anybody. It’s going to be a great day either way, whatever happens.”

Asked if he was confident his agents would reach a deal with the Lions, Stafford said he didn’t know and cited the complexity of the contract. There are new rules in play because of the last year of the salary cap. King reported the deal might not be signed for a while.

“I don’t understand the wording of that stuff,” Stafford said. “I’m not a lawyer. I let my agent go to it.”

Does he want the deal done?

“Yeah, I would love for it to,” Stafford said. “Obviously being the No. 1 pick would be a great honor and going to Detroit would be a lot of fun. I’m excited about it.”
Did he tell his agent that?

“Oh, he knows,” Stafford said. “He knows what he’s doing.”

LINK >> QB Stafford has yet to hear from Lions | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

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