Lions president Rod Wood recently suggested he's comfortable making Matthew Stafford the highest-paid player in the NFL if that's what it takes to find common ground on a new contract.
Set to enter the final season of a three-year, $53 million extension, Stafford might just have a new deal by the time Detroit's training camp opens July 31.
Appearing on Tuesday's edition of NFL Total Access, NFL Network's Stacey Dales reported there is "internal optimism" at team headquarters that a new agreement will be reached in the next two weeks.
After entering the 2016 MVP discussion and leading an undermanned Detroit squad to the postseason, Stafford is expected to set his sights on Derek Carr's five-year, $125 million contract.
That $25 million annual figure is the high cost of doing business with a quarterback entrenched as the face of the franchise in an era with a steadily expanding salary cap.
