Matthew Stafford is being paid about $135 million over a 5 year span. He is, as of now, the highest paid player in NFL history. Stafford has been with the Detroit Lions ever since he was drafted in 2009. His signing bonus is a massive amount at $50 million. If Stafford plays out this next contract, which is likely given his age, he will have earned $262 million for his career. The Lions, like the Ravens, knew another team would gladly overpay for Stafford if he reached free agency and, in return, Detroit would be once again searching for an answer to the most important position in the game.