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Stafford Refutes Contract Report, Says Staying In Detroit "Isn't Up To Me"

By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid

Matthew Stafford shot down a report on Wednesday that he is seeking a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid player in the NFL.

"That was news to me, to tell you the truth," he said. "Hadn't obviously had any thoughts of that in my mind. So I don't know where that came from or how it got out there, but I'm focused on our team, this season, playing well this week. That's all I care about."

Stafford's current deal expires at the end of the 2017 season. CBS Sports reported on Sunday that Stafford and his agents intend to pursue an extension worth more than $25 million per year in the upcoming offseason.

The Lions quarterback wasn't in the mood for such speculation on Wednesday.

"Honestly, I'm not even going to talk about it. I don't need to waste my time with it right now or my teammates' or your all's time," he said. "Ask me as many questions as you want about Jacksonville (Detroit's upcoming opponent), but all that stuff's going to take care of itself. I'm not worried about it," Stafford said.

Stafford is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. He's among the top five quarterbacks in both passer rating (101.6) and completion percentage (67.3) and has thrown 18 touchdowns to just five interceptions. His strong run of play, which dates back to last November, figures to increase his odds of reeling in a record-breaking contract.

"I don't know," Stafford said, "it's not up for me to speculate. That's for you guys (the media) to write about and talk about. For me, it's always just been on to the next week. Work as hard as you can, play as well as you can. And I do that, no offense to you guys, for the guys in that locker room."

Stafford has spent his entire eight-year career with the Lions. Whether or not he stays with the organization moving forward remains to be seen.

"It's not up to me," Stafford said. "I want to play football for as long as I can. Obviously would love to be here."

Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts is the NFL's highest paid player in terms of average annual salary. He will make $24,594,000 in 2016.

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