For a man that was forced into retirement, Donovan McNabb certainly has plenty of criticism to throw around. He has thoughts on Tony Romo. He has thoughts on Robert Griffin III. He has thoughts on Matthew Stafford. The Detroit Lions quarterback recently signed a contract extension worth over $43 million for three years. It makes Stafford among the highest paid quarterbacks in the league, ranking sixth on the list behind Joe Flacco, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo. This does not please McNabb.
"When you look at the numbers overall, you have to think about 12,000 yards and being the youngest quarterback to reach this feat and also the things he's been able to accomplish, you know you begin to question this," McNabb said on NFL Total Access. "It's about wins and losses again. Now, as a quarterback and as Matt Staford, hey, I would take that contract just like Tony Romo took his contract. But is he worth top-5 money? I would have to say no. And I say that because it's about wins and losses."
"What has he really done for the Detroit Lions? Nothing."
Stafford has received flack lately for his mechanics which is the first thing McNabb points out. The former quarterback claims Stafford sacrifices his footwork late in games. He throws well, but is too much of a gunslinger, making turnovers a big issue. He believes Stafford's poor play is keeping the Detroit Lions from being one of the top teams in the league.
Stafford should not lose any sleep over these statements by McNabb. First, the quarterback already put the pen to paper, so he is getting paid no matter what. Second, this kind of talk is the only thing McNabb has done all offseason. After Romo signed his large contract extension, McNabb laughed that off as well. Taking to Twitter, McNabb posted, "Tony Romo 6 yr 55 million dollar extension. Wow really, with one playoff win. You got to be kidding me."
Hater's gonna hate, boys. While the Lions might have ended with a less than stellar record, Stafford has proved he can bring the team success and has the talent to take them far. In 2011, the quarterback threw for 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns. He followed that up with 4,967 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2012. Some might argue the supporting cast was not there, something the Lions addressed in the offseason which will only make Stafford's numbers even better,
This will likely not be last time McNabb voices his displeasure over a contract extension. Time will tell if Stafford or Romo are worth the money given to them.
