Category: Lions News

Matthew Stafford’s back is fully healed, per Kelly Stafford

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s back is fully healed, according to an Instagram post from his wife Kelly Stafford.

Matthew Stafford’s back is fully healed, according to an Instagram post from his wife Kelly Stafford.

Stafford broke bones in his back during a Week 8 game against the Oakland Raiders. It was initially reported as a six-week injury, and despite a ‘maniacal‘ approach to get back on the field, once the Detroit Lions were eliminated from the Playoffs, they played it safe and placed him on injured reserve.

Now, over 16 weeks removed from the injury, both the Lions general manager Bob Quinn and the Stafford family believe he will be “full go” for offseason workouts.

Quinn made his proclamation at the 2020 NFL Combine, while Kelly took to social media to subtly let fans know that her husband, soon-to-be father of four, and quarterback for your Lions, has a fully healed back.

“At the beginning of jan (January),” Kelly wrote, “after strong antibiotics, our girls started to gain their personalities & weight back. Matthew had gotten word that his back had completely healed and because of symptoms I was having, I got an MRI on my brain that showed no residual from surgery & everything looked normal.”

You can read the entire Instagram post below.

View this post on Instagram

This game was a few weeks after I told Matthew I was expecting, well really before he found out. The day I found out I was pregnant, was the same day Matthew found out he had broken his back. With that news, I decided I would keep the pregnancy to myself because for so long we had been so worried about my brain and my recovery, I didn’t want him to have to think about me continuing to recover while growing a baby.. I wanted him to have a clear mind so that he could have a quick, successful recovery himself. That lasted 3 days. Matthew is sometimes too smart for his own good. While I was so focused on him, he was focused on me, with the littlest of things clueing him into what was going on. He asked if I was, I said yes, and we hugged it out. The next month & a half was hard and exhausting. Our 3 little ones were extremely sick for weeks, at least one of them throwing up a day.. everyone telling us it was a virus so they fought like the little warriors they are, only for it to turn into pneumonia. Poor things were not themselves for too long. I had zero energy. This pregnancy had been my toughest yet.. messing more so with my head & my balance, making me sick & constantly worried something else was wrong. Then there was my incredible husband trying to keep it together while dealing with his own health issue… & all of this with the holidays were quickly approaching.. & we all know how busy & hectic the holidays are. We made it through, completing all the holiday traditions we had made thus far as a family.. but we were very ready for these tables to turn. They did. At the beginning of jan, after strong antibiotics, our girls started to gain their personalities & weight back. Matthew had gotten word that his back had completely healed and because of symptoms I was having, I got an MRI on my brain that showed no residual from surgery & everything looked normal. We finally felt like we had caught a break. The past 15 months have really taken a toll on me and my family. Next month will mark a year from my brain surgery. It is a year that has helped my family grow in numbers and in strength, but it is a year that I never want to revisit. #StaffordStrong

A post shared by Kelly Stafford (@kbstafford89) on

Matthew and Kelly Stafford reveal they’re expecting another baby

Congrats to Matthew and Kelly on their growing family

There has been a ton of speculation about the fate of Matthew Stafford and his Detroit Lions future lately. Both Stafford and the Lions have done their best to squash the rumors of discontent and possible trade. So it makes us here at Lions Wire very happy to report on something factual regarding Stafford.

He and his wife Kelly have announced they are expecting their fourth child.

Kelly posted the big reveal to her Instagram page on Sunday. She’s sporting a visible bump as the Stafford’s and two of their three daughters pose at a Disney park.

It’s great to see Kelly fully recovered from her brain tumor surgery last year. Congrats to the growing Stafford family!

Matt Patricia calls speculation over trading Matthew Stafford, ‘Comical’

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia was on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football this morning and didn’t mix words when addressing Matthew Stafford trade rumors.

You may have thought the Matthew Stafford trade talks were put to bed when Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn emphatically rejected the notion immediately after the rumor began circulation. But you would’ve been wrong.

Maybe you thought the talks would end after Quinn once again doubled down on his denial, in a pre-NFL Combine interview. But you would’ve been wrong.

Surely the talks would be over once at the NFL Combine, when Quinn, for a third time, in a private meeting with Lions reporters — a group that included Lions Wire’s own Jeff Risdon — once again debunked the rumor. But again, you would’ve been wrong.

This morning, Lions coach Matt Patricia was on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” and when Peter Schrager asked him for his thoughts on the subject, like Quinn, Patricia didn’t mix words when addressing Stafford trade rumors.

“It’s comical,” Patricia said. “To be honest with ya. Not interested in doing any of that. There’s no conversation of that whatsoever.”

This echo’s Quinn’s stance from the very first denial.

“It’s one of those things that, for me, I kinda laugh at,” Patricia continued. “Because it’s not even a conversation. Honestly, Matt Stafford, I love the guy. He is one of the reasons I came to Detroit.”

Maybe now this exhausting story will have reached its final conclusion. But let’s be realistic, it probably won’t be over until after the NFL Draft.

You can watch the portion of Patricia’s segment on this topic in the video below:

Matt Patricia wants to give Lions’ fans ‘what they deserve’, a winning team

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia was on NFL Networks Good Morning Football and was asked if he had a message he wanted to give to the fans. His answer was simple, give them what the deserve, a winning football team.

Detroit Lions head coach was a guest of Peter Schrager’s on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” at the NFL Combine and was asked what message he had for Lions fans about the upcoming 2020 season.

“Our fans are amazing, Patricia said. “The passion in which they love this team, every single year. The encouragement we’ve gotten as an organization, to go out and try to get everything done the right way.”

“I was at Ford Field last week for a Garth Brooks concert,” Patricia continued. “The energy of that building, as soon as I walk into that place, right away I’m like, man we’ve gotta win, we’ve gotta get this going for the fans. They’ve got to feel this energy and this excitement.”

Patricia concluded his message to Lions fans by saying, “that’s really all I want. I want to win. I want to try and build a team the right way, to where we can do that week-in-week-out, and just give the fans what they deserve.”

Since taking over the Lions from Jim Caldwell, the team has seemed to have regressed, as they have a lowly 9-19-1 record in the two seasons under Patricia. With a lot of the right pieces already in place on offense, and holding the coveted third overall pick in the draft, the Lions may be able to fill the holes on defense and right the ship heading into the third season under Patricia.

Report: Danny Amendola’s 1-year contract indicates slight raise from Lions

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero has reported the 1-year contract details between veteran wide receiver and the Detroit Lions.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero has reported the 1-year contract details between veteran wide receiver and the Detroit Lions.

Despite rumors that Amendola was contemplating playing elsewhere in 2020, Amendola re-signed in Detroit earlier this week and it has given the Lions plenty of options moving forward.

To entice Amendola to return, the Lions gave him a slight raise from his 2019 contract — $4.25 million guaranteed, and just under $4.5 million earned after incentives — which was well deserved after he accomplished the second-best statistical season if his career.

The details of his 2020 contract that were reported by Pelissero include:

  • 1 year, $5 million deal, with $4.5 million guaranteed
  • A bump in pay up to $5.5 million if he re-produces last years results
  • Max incentives could potentially earn him as much as $6 million

That salary makes Amendola currently the 10th highest paid Lions’ player heading into free agency and the draft. The salary cap implications start with a $5 million cap hit and depending on how the bonuses are structured, could make that number slightly higher.

The Lions salary cap now stands roughly at $48.8 million, good for 16th most in the NFL at this time.

Believe Bob Quinn when he says he’s not trading Matthew Stafford

Quinn once again slammed the door shut on any Stafford trade rumors at the combine

Lions general manager Bob Quinn feels like a broken record. When it comes to the pesky — and baseless — rumors of the Lions trying to trade franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, Quinn has to keep reiterating the same answer.

It’s 100 percent fabricated and false.

Quinn met with reporters at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine and once again debunked the notion that Detroit is even entertaining the concept of trading away Stafford. His words struck a familiar chorus.

“In terms of the whole rumor on Stafford, I think I’ve texted a lot of people here that it’s like 100% false,” Quinn said Tuesday in Indianapolis. “If we need to add a third exclamation point, we will. So I don’t know where that came from.”

The conviction to Quinn’s tone is akin to the classic TV public service announcement from the 1980s with the cracked eggs in a frying pan and a sternly glaring man admonishing “this is your brain on drugs, any questions,” and it’s not a question. It would be such a monumental backtracking to trade Stafford now that it would completely destroy any credibility Quinn has with other players, agents or owner Martha Ford.

Believe Quinn’s words. Matthew Stafford is going nowhere except under center for the Detroit Lions in 2020.

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Bob Quinn: Matthew Stafford will be “full-go” for offseason workouts

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn spoke to the media at the 2020 NFL Combine and confirmed Matthew Stafford is healthy and will be available for offseason workouts, which are just over two months away. 

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn spoke to the media at the 2020 NFL Combine and confirmed Matthew Stafford is healthy and will be available for offseason workouts, which are just over two months away.

Quinn said he spoke to Stafford within the last few weeks and that Stafford is “feeling really good, training full, and he’ll be full-go for offseason program”.

As the press conference continued, Quinn was asked questions about selecting players with the No. 3 overall pick, how he contemplates knowing when it’s time to move on from a player, and when those topics merged, Quinn expressed his confidence in Stafford’s talent.

The one thing about Matthew (Stafford) is his number one trait is still the same as when I came here four-and-a-half years ago. He still has that great arm strength. He’s a competitor. He’s tough. He’s sneaky athletic. I think he’s improved his athleticism a little bit over his career. He does a great job taking care of his body.

So, you take all those things into consideration, just like any other player, are they ascending, or are they declining? I think it’s different for every position in terms of how old they are. In my opinion, when you’re a quarterback your prime is your late twenties into your early thirties. That’s your prime, because you take your first part of your career and you’re working on all those other things.

As we saw, how did Matthew play last year when he was out there? I think everyone would agree he played really good. So that’s what we’re expecting when he comes back.

Stafford, who just turned 32 years old less than two weeks ago, falls within Quinn’s definition of “prime” for a quarterback, which is why it’s also not surprising that he has been so insistent that Stafford will not be traded.

Report: Lions are re-signing Danny Amendola to a 1-year contract

NFL Network’s Peter Schrager is reporting that the Detroit Lions are re-signing slot receiver Danny Amendola to a 1-year contract.

NFL Network’s Peter Schrager is reporting that the Detroit Lions are re-signing slot receiver Danny Amendola to a 1-year contract.

Even with a new CBA deal in flux, general manager Bob Quinn mentioned in a recent interview that he was having conversations with potential Lions free agents, “hoping to have a few things done in the next week or so”, and this appears to be one of those moves.

Amendola, who turned 34 years old last November, is coming off the second-best statistical season of his career with 62 receptions for 678 yards (11 yards shy of his career-high), a touchdown reception, one passing attempt, one completion for 19-yards and a passing touchdown.

Amendola provides the Lions with a much-needed veteran presence, a returning starter in the slot, and softens the need for an immediate contributor at the wide receiver position.

Longterm, no Lions’ wide receiver is currently signed beyond the 2020 season, and therefore the need still persists. With a loaded draft class at the position, this shouldn’t eliminate the Lions from still attempting to acquire a top-end talent that will be a capable contributor beyond this season.

Re-signing Amendola is a big piece to the Lions offseason puzzle and fills arguably one of the top-5 needs on this roster for the upcoming season.

Lions keeping an open mind on all positions heading into the draft

General manager Bob Quinn spoke about his draft process and said the team will be keeping an open mind on all position groups.

General manager Bob Quinn recently sat down with Detroit Lions multi-media reporter Tori Petry and discussed several topics ranging from the Stafford trade rumors to recent coaching hires.

With the 2020 NFL Combine about to kick-off, it will be a good time for Quinn and his staff to get a better feel for potential prospects. With a bevy of options with another Top-10 selection this year, Quinn is keeping an approachable outlook on all position groups.

“We’re not ruling out anything right now,” Quinn said. “I think we’re still in the evaluation mode. Which we’re probably a bit ahead of the game, from going to the Senior Bowl and having that experience with those guys down there. Way too early to narrow it down to one position or one player. I think we’re going to the Combine with an open mind.”

The Lions had the opportunity to coach the North team at this year’s Senior Bowl and got a leg up on their evaluation process with all the participating senior players. For all intents and purposes, the Lions took full advantage, allowing them the chance to spend more time with the record setting 115 underclassmen player class this year. Especially the likes of underclassmen Chase Young, Jeffery Okduah, and Derrick Brown, who all have been heavily linked to the Lions.

“All the underclassmen are brand new to us,” Quinn continued. “And obviously, there’s a lot of them this year that are going to be at the Combine. It’s really going to be our first exposure to them in an interview setting. So, a lot of things can change.”

With the Combine interview process changing this year, cutting the number of prospect interviews from 60 to 45 but increasing the time from 15 to 18 minutes, teams will be selective on whom they interview this year. With the Lions already, getting a first-hand look at the seniors, expect the majority of their interviews to be with the underclassmen through various position groups.

With all the recent quarterback speculation, I am sure people will read too much into this and take it out of context, thinking the Lions will be looking at quarterbacks to replace Stafford. The Lions are doing their due diligence like any good team should this time of year, especially with how high of a draft selection they have. The Lions are scouting not just for a draft process, but looking to gain an edge if they end up playing against the players next season.

Quinn will be bringing his entire staff down for the Combine, allowing for maximum coverage and availability to look at every prospect possible making sure they don’t shut the door on any potential prospects. It would be ill-advised for the Lions to exclude any positions at this time, especially since free agency has not begun and anything could change from now to draft day.

Damon Harrison calls separation with Lions a ‘mutual agreement’

The Detroit Lions and Damon Harrison have come to a “mutual agreement” with their pending separation, per a social media post by Harrison.

The Detroit Lions are planning on releasing Damon Harrison but a social media post from Harrison on Friday night has shed a bit more light on the situation, calling the pending separation a “mutual agreement”.

The Lions have not addressed this situation publically, but in a recent interview, general manager Bob Quinn said the organization is currently examing their roster, having conversations with potential Lions free agents and “hoping to have a few things done in the next week or so”, which is likely when they will announce the move.

Acknowledging the separation is going to happen, Harrison wrote the following message on Twitter (displayed in picture form, so the entire message is visible) :

Harrison has always shown class in his interactions while in Detroit and his parting message is no different — taking the time to address and thank the Lions fans and individuals that aren’t in the public eye.

“I grew to have a genuine love for the people of Detroit because of their passion for EVERYTHING Detroit,” Harrison said. “You guys embraced me and made me feel as if I was one of your own and I am forever grateful for you guys. I’m going to miss my teammates for sure but the ones I’ll to miss the most are the ones you guys never see.”

It was a frustrating season for Harrison, who saw a regression in play in 2019 and it culminated in an emotional post-game interview where Harrison admitted he was contemplating retirement.

It appears Harrison is still considering his options, although NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting he wants to continue his playing career. Whatever his decision is, we at Lions Wire wish him the best of luck.