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Stafford: Expiring contract with Lions 'not on the forefront of my mind'

Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports

While Matthew Stafford took the Detroit Lions to the playoffs in his first season with Calvin Johnson, he's still not sure of his future with the team who took him first overall in 2009.

Stafford's contract with the Lions expires after the 2017 season, leaving the offseason open to negotiate a new deal before he hits the field again in Detroit. The 28-year-old field general says he's not forcing those discussions as his wife's pregnancy is taking up more of his attention.

"It's up to the people upstairs and the Fords and whether they want to or not," Stafford said Monday, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein. "It's not on 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."

Coming off a career low in interceptions with 10 in 16 games and considering the free-agent quarterback market, Stafford could be up for a big contract after earning $22.5 million in 2016. However, Stafford isn't showing any of his cards to the public just yet.

"I'm not going to deal with hypotheticals, man," Stafford said. "If they come to me, they come to me. If they don't, they don't. I'll talk to you guys about it then."

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