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Lions GM: Stafford extension negotiations in 'early stages'

Leon Halip / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Detroit Lions are in the process of locking up their franchise player for the foreseeable future, but don't expect a deal to be agreed upon anytime soon.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn said Thursday that contract extension talks between the team and star quarterback Matthew Stafford are in the "early stages."

"It's not done yet," Quinn said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "We're in the very early stages of talking to Matthew and his representatives. Matthew's a quarterback that I want here and he's a quarterback that coach (Jim) Caldwell wants here, so we're in the early stages. It takes two sides to do a deal and we're working towards that."

Stafford has just one season remaining on his current deal, which was signed in 2013, and following an MVP-type season in 2016, it's expected he'll challenge Andrew Luck's league-leading average salary of $24.59 million.

It will be the third monster deal of Stafford's career. He was one of the last No. 1 overall picks to be given a huge contract before the rookie wage scale was implemented, and it's likely the extension he'll sign this offseason will leave time for one more contract in his mid-30s.

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